Persephone Jackson and the Half Blood Olympians
by Winds of the Desert
Summary: Perseus Jackson? Who's he? My name's Persephone; I'm the half-blood daughter of Poseidon. This is my story, as well as the story of others; this is the story of the Half-Blood Olympians. PersephoneXNico. ON HIATUS
1. A Quick Word of Warning

Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood.

If you're reading this because you think you might be one, my wise advice is this: close this book. Right now. Believe whatever your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life.

Being a half-blood is totally dangerous. It's scary. Most of the time, it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways.

If you're a normal kid, reading this because you think it's fiction, great. Read onward if you wish. I _envy _you for being able to believe that none of this ever happened.

But if you recognize yourself in these pages-if you feel something stirring inside- stop reading immediately. Close this book. Put it back on the shelf. Never speak of it or look at it again. Because you might be one of us. And once you know that, it's only a matter of time until _they _sense it too, and they'll come for you.

Don't say I didn't warn you, punks.

_~Persephone Jackson, Daughter of Poseidon, Official Record-Keeper of Camp Half-Blood  
><em>

/\/\/\/\

_A/N: Sorry for the stupidity of a super short prologue, but I had to get things rolling somehow. Wow. Another day, another fanfiction. Just my luck. Hope you enjoy!  
><em>_-Wind_


	2. We Aren't Normal

_Approximately_ _six years before the letter you just read was recorded:_

Lightning flashed all around her. Wind ripped through her black hair, threatening to make her leave the ground. But no matter what, she struggled forward, her hand gripping tightly she couldn't even see because the rain of the hurricane stung her green eyes almost shut. The sand shifted uselessly under her feet, making her struggle all the harder, but she refused to back down.

'I can't stop. This is beyond life and death for me; this is life and death for the _world._' She thought desperately. Immediately, the new resolve coursed through her veins, and she pressed forward into the god-awful winds. Just up ahead, she could two men trying to strangle each other, both punching, kicking, head-butting, and biting. "Give it back! I know you took it!" snarled one.

"In your dreams!" snapped the other. The girl screamed, "STOP! Stop! Stop fighting!" But the wind whipped her words around and threw them behind her, and the two men didn't do so much as glance in her direction as she struggled inch-by-inch.

Eventually, all she could do was jog in place, unable to move forward through the maelstrom. "STOP IT, PLEASE! YOU'RE MAKING A MISTAKE!" she screamed again, more desperately this time, but again the men either didn't hear her or just ignored her.

And finally, the girl lost patience, and she screamed at the top of her lungs, "DAMN IT, DAD, STOP FIGHTING YOUR BROTHER! YOU'RE BOTH BEING COMPLETE IDIOTS!"

And of course, like all dreams, just before she got to the good part and saw their reactions to her words, she woke up.

/\/\/\/\

Persephone Jackson jerked up in bed, feeling a cold sweat all over her body. "Whoa, you really know how to have a nightmare," said her roommate Anastasia as she looked over from her archery book to see Persephone shaking with relieved tension. "What was it? Probably not as awesome as my dream!" said a voice from the top bunk above Persephone, and suddenly their third roommate Arianna was looking down at them from her bunk.

"Pfft. Please. My nightmare kicked your nightmare's ass!" snarled their fourth and final roommate Haley as she looked down at them from her bunk, holding a copy of a collection of Edgar Allen Poe stories.

"So, what was it, Jackson? Was it worse than the sun melting everything on the earth?" "Or was it worse than being dragged to hell and back?" Both Arianna and Haley asked respectively before they glared at each other.

"No, it was just…. Really, really weird. I think I was trying to stop a fight or something…." Persephone began, but was interrupted by Arianna; "BORING. You gotta have more exciting dreams, Percy, or else no guy is ever going to look at you twice."

"Okay, A: DON'T CALL ME PERCY! My name is Persephone, damn it! B: What do nightmares have to do with boys? And C: Since when have you cared about being looked at by guys? !" Persephone snapped at Arianna, who grinned.

"Well, A: I don't care how many times you tell me that, you'll always be Percy to me. B: If you ever have a nap near your boyfriend or something in the future, when you wake up crying from a nightmare, there's no doubt he'll comfort you and do all that mushy crap. And C: I don't care a lot about boys, but there's no way in bloody hell that I'm going to be the only one in this class that doesn't get a boyfriend just because I'm not girly," said Arianna with a look of determination.

And boy, was that true; every boy in the entire school avoided Arianna like she was the Plague because of her total and complete kick-your-ass-into-next-week attitude. And when they avoided her, they often 'stumbled upon' her three roommates, some of the prettiest- and closest to normal- girls in the entire campus of the Yancy Academy boarding school.

/\/\/\/\

Persephone was not a normal girl, and neither were her three roommates. Each one of them had a strange case of dyslexia that seriously liked to mess with their grades; every day, if they were asked to read something aloud, it would often result in their classmates trying hard not to laugh as they all had difficulty reading and pronouncing even the simplest words.

They all also had another strange thing in common; ADHD. Attention deficit hyperactive disorder. Yep. They all had the _worst _attention span of anyone else in the school. Of course, if anyone picked on Persephone and her friends, they'd find a one-way ticket to Arianna's or Haley's fists, but sometimes it didn't stop some of the usual bullies.

Nancy Bobofit, one of the ugliest, grossest, meanest, and down-right nastiest girls in the entire school, seemed to be the only one of the school bullies that could taunt Persephone openly and get away with it. Why? Mrs. Dodds.

The horribly ugly algebra teacher always seemed to appear whenever Arianna and Haley were itching to pound Nancy senseless. She would say, "Now, honey," in a real condescending way that just set Persephone on edge. She had no idea why she thought this, but once in a while, she could swear Mrs. Dodds wasn't human.

And she was right.

/\/\/\/\

_A/N: Ugh, another super-short chapter. Oh well. And yes, the thing mentioned in the beginning was the prologue. Duh!  
>Praise Poseidon. Yada yada yada. Blah blah blah. Review or vote for this story on my profile poll to see it updated faster. Laters people.<br>-Wind_


	3. Beginning of the Worst Day

Persephone had to admit, this was the _worst _day of her entire life. And considering what her life had been filled with before, this was quite shocking. She'd always been a little strange; stranger than her roommates, in fact. They all had dyslexia and ADHD; but did anyone else have their teacher try to kill them today?

/\/\/\/\

See, it started out like this:  
>Their class was taking a field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at some really old Greek and Roman stuff. Persephone rocked back and forth eagerly, impatient as she and her dorm-mates waited to get on the bus.<p>

"Dude, relax! It's not like everything's going to get up and walk away before we get there!" snapped Arianna for the hundredth time as Persephone spun excitedly like a ballerina. Arianna was a punk-rock style girl with black hair with streaks of red highlights running through it. She wore black make-up around her fiery dark blue-green eyes that made her look even more dangerous than she usually did, and her clothes suggested she was a fan of every heavy-metal band in the world- which she was - and she always wore a pair of gloves with fake brass-knuckles on them. Last but not least, she wore a pair of steel-toed combat boots that she'd gotten from her brother in the army.

"Oh, calm down, Arianna; it's not every day that we get to go to a museum for art. It's exciting," said Anastasia. Anastasia was Arianna's opposite; she wore bright yellow, reds, oranges, and whites every day. Her hair was sunny-blonde that she often accessorized with a bright hairclip that matched her attire. She had a temporary tattoo of a bow-and-arrow on her left arm and a sunrise on her right arm. Her light blue eyes held intelligence and patience, which was surprising, considering her strange case of ADHD.

"Not really. It's just art," yawned Haley, looking for all the world like she didn't want to be there. Haley was really only excited when she was alone, since she didn't want to ruin her school reputation as a kick-ass bully to anyone that pissed her off. Her jet black hair and dark brown eyes always drove people away, but she was actually a really good friend, once you got past the black clothing and scary make-up she often shared with Arianna.

"Just art? JUST ART? ! I don't freaking care if it's 'just art'! We're _finally _leaving this god-forsaken hell-hole!" Persephone squealed crazily like a school-girl. Persephone was nothing like her roommates; she had jet black hair and deep blue-green eyes, like the ocean on a calm day. She wore a mix of greens, blues, whites, and sometimes a few blacks. Although her dyslexia often got in the way, she had a B+ in Latin studies and Greek history, and she had a temporary tattoo on her left wrist of a trident, her favorite weapon in Greek mythology.

"Oh look, little Miss Poseidon-lover is having a fit. What ever could be so important that she'd actually show emotions instead of having that _stupid _blank 'I-know-everything-so-I-don't-need-to-listen-to-this' expression on her face?" hissed a voice. Persephone groaned, and turned to see Nancy Bobofit, standing there with her posse of popular-wannabes-but-are-never-going-to-bes.

"What do you want? !" Persephone snapped as Arianna pounded her fist into her other hand, obviously itching for a fight.

"Oh, nothing, Percy dear-" at this Persephone almost lunged at her, but Anastasia held her back "- It's just that we noticed your _ridiculous _display of excitement. It was hard not to notice, considering your standing with all the other freaks and weirdoes of the school." Nancy said, smirking.

"_We're _freaks and weirdoes? ! Try looking in the mirror, Nancy _dear_!" snarled Haley, barely controlling her obviously immense rage.

/\/\A quick word to the wise: NEVER, and I repeat **NEVER** piss off Haley Swan OR Arianna Black; they **WILL NEVER STOP HUNTING YOU DOWN UNTIL YOU'RE DEAD! ! ! !**/\/\

"Oh look, if it isn't Percy's little bodyguard!" trilled Nancy, glaring at Haley like she was a bug that had tried to crawl on her shoe.

"Give me a reason, Nancy, I beg of you!" Arianna snarled, trying desperately to get out of Anastasia's grip so she could beat the shit out of Nancy.

And it was just their luck that Mrs. Dodds came up, looking furiously at Persephone's group. "You dare threaten a classmate? !" she snapped at Arianna, who would've spat in her face if Anastasia hadn't said, "Oh, no ma'am, we were just-!" "Never mind, Miss Hopefield! Just get your _roommates _onto the bus!" snarled Mrs. Dodds before whisking off in a huff. She spat the word 'roommates' like it was a disease, and Anastasia huffed indignantly. 'My last name sounds much better when she isn't the one saying it!' she thought as she herded her friends onto the bus.

Persephone glared out the window, gritting her teeth in anger as the bus slowly filled up with students. "Oh, come on, Persephone, it's not that bad-" Anastasia began, but Persephone cut her off, "Why? Why the hell are we all so different? Why can't it be someone else who suffers from stupid ADHD and dyslexia? !"

"There are plenty of other people who have it," reasoned Anastasia, "My brother has it, and I'm sure there are plenty of others thinking the same thing all across the country. We just have to be patient and learn to control our symptoms." Persephone just continued glaring out the window, as if begging the rain to fall.

It didn't.

And that was the beginning of the worst day.

/\/\/\/\/\

_A/N: Hey, another short chapter=done! Hurray! Hope you liked it; I did! Anyway, read, review, comment, criticize, whatever. Vote for this story in my profile poll or review if you want it updated quickly! Laters people! ! ! ! ! !  
>-Wind<em>


	4. Visiting a Museum About Your Parents

"So, do you come here often?" Persephone glanced over her shoulder to see Anastasia's twin brother Aaron grinning at her mock flirtatiously. "Ugh, what do you want Aaron? !" snapped Anastasia, her calm demeanor melting away in the presence of her annoying older brother. "Oh come on, sis, you know you love when I mess with you!" defended Aaron, with a large grin at his sister. "DAMN IT, DON'T CALL ME 'SIS'!" screeched Anastasia, pelting her brother with pieces of paper she had torn up in anger when he appeared.

"Agh! Stop it, sis! It was a joke!" Aaron quickly lifted his backpack above his head as a shield. "You still mad at him for driving off Eric?" asked Persephone. "Big time!" hissed Anastasia.

Eric was Anastasia's ex-boyfriend from last month. They'd been going on their sixth date when Aaron decided to tag along and… ruin it. Big time. Anastasia was still mad at him.

Once she'd calmed down enough to stop hitting him with paper, he asked Persephone, "So, _do _you come here often?" "Aaron, for the last time, you're not my type!" Persephone said for about the two-hundredth time in a row. For the past school year, Aaron had been begging all of Anastasia's roommates to go out with him; and that usually fell to Persephone, as she was, in his eyes, the prettiest of the group, although if he ever said that aloud, Arianna and Haley would kill him.

"Why don't you try asking another girl out?" Persephone suggested as politely as possible, even though she knew it wouldn't dissuade him. "Oh, come on, Persephone; you know you're the only girl for me! Come on; just one date? I'll pay for it!" he begged, giving me his best puppy-dog eyes look.

"N-O. I don't want to go out with you!" Persephone said, slightly annoyed with him. Aaron's face fell, before it brightened with determination. "You say that now, but I say this; you _will _fall for me some day! And when you do, I'll accept you with open arms!" he cried.

Anastasia face-palmed. "Aaron, you know your stupid predictions never come true!" she sighed. "This one will; just wait and see!" Aaron cried, waving his arms dramatically.

Yep. Typical Aaron. Typical day. For now….

/\/\/\/\

They reached the museum and entered. Mr. Brunner, the Latin teacher, lead the group. Persephone really liked Mr. Brunner; his class was the only one she could get through without falling asleep.

He led them throughout the museum, pointing out famous and important statues that Persephone was sure she recognized, at least a little.

They were stopped in front of a thirteen-foot-tall column with a sphinx on top, a _stele_, which was an ancient burial marker. Persephone listened with rapt attention, trying to listen despite the fact that nobody in the class seemed to want to shut up.

Finally, Nancy Bobofit started giggling at the picture of a naked man on the marker, and Persephone snapped. "Would you shut up?" she hissed at Nancy. Unfortunately, it came out a little louder than she meant it too, so everyone snickered at her.

"Do you have a comment, Miss Jackson?" asked Mr. Brunner.

Persephone blushed and stammered, "N-No sir!" Mr. Brunner turned and pointed to one of the pictures on the stele. "Perhaps you'll tell us what this picture represents?" he asked, though it was more of a statement.

Persephone studied the picture and almost grinned in relief; it was something she knew. "That's Kronos eating his kids."

"Eeeew!" shrieked several girls, wrinkling their noses in disgust, while Arianna grinned at their disgusted faces. "Cool!" muttered Aaron, leading to more "Eew!"s.

"Yes, and he did this because…..?" asked Mr. Brunner, obviously not satisfied with Persephone's answer.

"Well, Kronos was the king Titan, and he didn't trust his kids, who were the Greek gods. So, um, he ate them. But his wife hid baby Zeus and gave Kronos a rock to eat instead of Zeus. And after Zeus grew up, he tricked his dad into barfing up the other gods and goddesses-" Persephone said, but she was interrupted by more girls going "Eew!" at the mentioning of barf.

"-and so, there was a huge fight between the gods and the Titans, and the gods won; hacking their father to a million bits with his own scythe and casting his remains into the pits of Tartarus for eternal punishment," finished Persephone simply with a shrug, but now the entire class was looking at her in shock.

"My, my, Persephone; very good! That was all completely correct!" said Mr. Brunner, looking pleased with her very long answer. "Thank you, sir," said Persephone, slightly uncomfortable with the looks being shot at her. The only ones she didn't mind were Anastasia's, Haley's, Arianna's, or Aaron's; they were all impressed, but they weren't surprised she'd gotten it right. They knew how smart she was, unlike everyone else here.

"Now, can anyone name some of the gods or goddesses? Besides the Olympians?" asked Mr. Brunner, adding the last part to make several of the smugger looking kids drop their hands.

"Anybody? Persephone, how about you?" he asked, glancing at her with a hopeful look.

"Um… there was Iris, goddess of the rainbow, Erebos, god of darkness and shadow, Nyx, the goddess of night, Aether, the god of upper air and light, and…." Persephone trailed off.

"What about the goddess of springtime? Surely you know that one?" asked Mr. Brunner, a knowing look in his eyes.

"Persephone, goddess of springtime and Queen of the Underworld," Persephone answered automatically, then cringing at the laughs of her classmates. "Yeah right, Percy dear! I _totally _believe you're a goddess!" laughed Nancy with her friends.

"On the contrary, Ms. Bobofit, she's correct."

That certainly shut everyone up.

"Yes, the story of Persephone is a tragic one; daughter of Demeter, she was very beautiful, and so the god of the Underworld, Hades, kidnapped her and brought her to his palace in the Underworld. Before she could be rescued, she accidentally ate some pomegranate seeds, and was cursed to stay there forever; once you eat something from the Underworld, you can _never _leave. But, after Demeter neglected her duties out of grief for her daughter, Hades relented and allowed Persephone to leave the Underworld for a few months each year. And that is the story of Persephone; it is also the myth of how seasons came to exist. For a few months each year, while Persephone is with her mother above ground, the earth flourishes with plants, but when Persephone is taken back to the Underworld, the world wilts and dies," explained Mr. Brunner.

Everyone stared again at Persephone in shock. Aaron pumped his fist and thought, 'YES! I knew she was a goddess the second I saw her, and I was right!'

"And why in the world would _you _be named after a goddess? !" snarled Nancy, unafraid to say it in front of the class.

"My mom loved that myth; besides, she told me that if she'd had a boy instead of me, she was going to call him Perseus. Go figure," Persephone said simply with a shrug.

"Ah, Perseus! A great hero! On that note, does anyone else know of other heroes?" Mr. Brunner asked. Anastasia raised her hand. "Hercules, Achilles, Jason, Castor, Theseus, Daedalus, Ganymede, Iolaus-" "Yes, yes, we get the point!" yawned Arianna, waving her hand at Anastasia to stop her, "You're putting the class to sleep! Slow down!"

That made all the students laugh. Mr. Brunner rolled his eyes and glanced at his watch. "Ah, I'm afraid it is time for lunch! Mrs. Dodds, if you'd take it from here…" he said. Mrs. Dodds began leading the class out when Mr. Brunner called Persephone back.

"Yes sir?" she asked as he gazed once again at the stele. "That was quite an impressive show back there, Miss Jackson. Were you guessing most of the time, or have you read this all before?" he asked.

Persephone shrugged. "I never really went out of my way to read about that stuff, but I guess it stayed locked in brain. The only story I know by heart is the one of my namesake Persephone, and that's about it," she sighed.

"Ah yes, well….. very good! I hope this streak of interest in myths remains for some time, Miss Jackson! Now, go have your lunch!" said Mr. Brunner, waving her off. Persephone turned away, but as she did she thought she saw a proud, relieved gleam in his eyes. 'Weird,' she thought with a sigh as she caught up with her classmates.

/\/\/\/\

_A/N: Yay! Another chapter done! Hope you loved that stuff about minor gods/goddesses; I'm appalled that they're almost never noticed as great people! Anyway, please review!  
>-Wind<em>


	5. We Fight A Fury

Persephone couldn't help but stop and stare at a statue of Poseidon on her way out of the museum. Poseidon had always been her favorite god; god of the seas, earthquakes, hurricanes, and creator of horses. Who couldn't love that? It was _awesome!_ And of course, Persephone had always been a fan of the trident; a three headed spear that could impale you multiple times? Yep. Awesome.

"Persephone, _come on!_" sighed Haley, yanking Persephone along before she stayed frozen there for hours like she sometimes did when reading mythology. "Agh! Sorry!" squeaked Persephone, quickly following them, though she did toss a last glance over her shoulder at the statue.

/\/\/\/\

Outside, in front of the museum, they ate their lunch. Boys were more interested in peppering pigeons with Lunchables crackers than eating, and Nancy was trying her luck at pick-pocketing a ladies purse. And of course, Mrs. Dodds was turning a blind eye to everything.

Persephone and her friends sat on a fountain, trying to look disconnected from the rest of the group of geeks, freaks, and weirdoes.

Thunder rumbled overhead, and Anastasia glanced up at the sky nervously. "The weather's been really freaky for a while now," she observed, and they all nodded. Freak storms had been happening all over the country; massive snow storms, major flooding, wildfires from lightning strikes, hurricanes, tornados. The works.

Persephone stared absentmindedly at the stream of traffic, and suddenly thought about grabbing a cab and heading to her mom's apartment, which was only a few blocks away. Persephone grinned; her mom hadn't seen her in months, since she'd been sent to Yancy, and she'd be really happy to see her, but after the happy shock, she'd get all huffy and send her right back here. Persephone grimaced; she didn't want to disappoint her mom, but she also didn't want to be stuck in this awful hell-hole.

Sighing, Persephone began unwrapping her sandwich when Nancy Bobofit appeared with her gang of ugly friends, looking pleased with her pick-pocketing. "What's the matter, Percy dear? Homesick?" Nancy crooned, causing her friends to laugh.

"Shut up, Bobofit," muttered Persephone, not daring to let herself get angry, because when Persephone got angry, it usually meant someone went to the emergency room. Nobody knew it, but once Persephone got in a fight, she wouldn't stop fighting until her enemy was a bloody pulp, and sometimes she'd keep beating them regardless. It was her dirty little secret, only known to her and her mother.

"I don't see why you are. I've been by that candy shop your mom works at, and I gotta say, I'm surprised your father wasted his time with her!" snarled Nancy.

That did it. Persephone didn't know what happened, but the next second she was on top of Nancy, choking her to death brutally. "Whoa! Whoa! Calm down, Persephone!" screamed Haley as she, Anastasia and Aaron tried to pry Persephone off of Nancy while Arianna laughed hysterically at the predicament we were in.

Haley and Aaron were barley able to drag her off, and even then, Persephone wasn't done. As soon as Nancy got up, a wave roared in Persephone's ears, and a jet of water reached out and snatched her into the fountain, dragging her in, before disintegrating back into the fountain.

"Whoa!"  
>"Did you see that? !"<br>"Persephone just tried to kill Nancy!"  
>"Not just that, you idiot!"<br>"Did you see the water?"  
>"It reached out-"<br>"Like it grabbed her!"

"MISS JACKSON!" snarled Mrs. Dodds, stalking up to Persephone like an angry panther. "How dare you attack a fellow student!" she screeched, waving her arms like she was in shock.

"She had it coming!" Persephone snarled back, shooting a glare at anyone who might challenge her statement. Aaron immediately jumped to her defense. "She's right, Mrs. Dodds! Nancy said-!" "I don't care what Miss Bobofit said! Whatever it was, it does _not _excuse the fact that you nearly killed her!" Mrs. Dodds cut Aaron off, giving him a class-five death glare that silenced him immediately.

Mrs. Dodds dragged Persephone off angrily into the museum, snarling something about how unsurprising it was that she had uncontrollable anger, probably because of her father. "Whoa, wait, what? Did you know my father?" Persephone gasped, trying to break Mrs. Dodd's iron grip as she was dragged farther into the museum.

"Of course I know him! He's one of the Olympians; I'm sure of it, no doubt about it now!" Mrs. Dodds hissed, more to herself then to Persephone. "What the hell are you talking about? !" Persephone snapped, trying unsuccessfully to wrestle herself out of Mrs. Dodd's grip.

Mrs. Dodds glanced around, and once sure that they were alone, shoved Persephone onto the floor at the foot of the Poseidon statue, which ended in Persephone's head smacking the stone base of the statue. "OUCH! Damn it! What the hell? !" Persephone swore as she shook her head to clear it.

"I knew I should've done this ages ago! You're too dangerous! Tell me where it is!" snarled Mrs. Dodds, but she suddenly wasn't Mrs. Dodds anymore. Her hands lengthened to sharp talons. The jacket she always wore melted into huge leathery wings. Her teeth elongated into sharp fangs. Although Persephone was sure this was all a hallucination brought on by her new concussion, she could see what it was.

"F-Fury!" Persephone stammered, trying to shake herself out of her daze. "Very good, little half-blood! You really know your myths!" laughed the Fury cruelly, grinning to reveal her yellow fangs in even nastier light.

Persephone tried to get up, but the Fury slammed her down again. "Tell me where it is and you'll suffer less, believe me, you little half-blood!" she hissed furiously **(A/N: which is funny when you think about it; she is a Fury, and she's furious. LOL)**

"What are you talking about?" groaned Persephone, shaking her head and trying to make herself wake up from this messed up nightmare.

"PERSEPHONE? !" screamed a voice.

Persephone jerked around to see her friends, standing in the entrance in shock. They had obviously followed them when Mrs. Dodds/ Mrs. Fury had dragged her off. "Run, guys! Get out of here!" cried Persephone, just before the Fury closed her talons around her throat and held her up, shaking her vigorously. "TELL ME WHERE IT IS!" she screeched.

"I-have no- idea what- you're- talking about!" choked out Persephone, clinging feebly to the Furies talons, trying to get her to let go. "HEY UGLY!" yelled a voice. The Fury had just enough time to turn before a huge trident decoration that had formerly sat in the corner stabbed into her side, courtesy of Arianna, who had a huge, furious grin on her face. "GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HER, YOU PSYCHOTIC DEVIL-SPAWN!" Haley roared, following Arianna's example and breaking open a display case and grabbing a sword from inside.

"How dare you! ?" snarled the Fury, yanking the trident out of her side and throwing it at Arianna who ducked and snatched another sword from Haley. Laughing psychotically, as if she'd waited a long time to do this, she stabbed the Fury again and again; in the wing, in the foot, in the back, in the arm, in the leg. Everywhere.

"STOP IT, YOU BITCH! ! ! ! ! !" screeched the Fury, dropping Persephone and lunging at Arianna, who sidestepped like a professional. "Can't catch me, can you, Satan's mistress? !" she laughed.

Persephone landed hard on the ground, coughing and choking as she tried to bring air back into her lungs. "Persephone!" cried Aaron as he and Anastasia ducked past Arianna and the Fury to get to her. "You okay?" asked Anastasia.

"I think so," coughed Persephone, rubbing her throat and trying to stand again. "Come on! We gotta get out of here!" begged Aaron, pulling on Persephone's arm and glancing at Arianna's duel; it was going alright, but it was pointless. No matter where Arianna stabbed, the Fury didn't die, just got more and more angry.

Haley waved to them; she was guarding the exit, just in case the Fury got past Arianna. "Let's go!" ordered Anastasia, but Persephone didn't move toward the exit. Instead, she dove forward and snatched the trident that had been left on the ground. "ARE YOU INSANE? !" screamed Aaron and Anastasia at the same time.

"Probably!" cried Persephone, and with a loud battle cry, she leapt in beside Arianna. It didn't even surprise her that she'd yelled in ancient Greek and she'd understood in perfectly.

Thrust, jab, kick, stab. It didn't matter what happened; every time, the Fury just got back up, just angrier than last time.

But just then, things got a little weirder. Mr. Brunner rolled into the room in his wheel chair. "What ho, Arianna, Persephone!" he cried, tossing two objects through the air. One was a pen, and the other was a plastic hairclip in the shape of a trident. Arianna caught the pen, and it became a glittering, golden sword. Persephone caught the hairclip, and it became a real trident; not like the one she was holding now, but a _real _trident, not a silly decoration or a little hairclip. It was golden, like Arianna's sword, but it had a small leather grip on the handle for easy maneuvering.

"DIE!" screeched the Fury, but suddenly time slowed down. As the Fury lunged, Arianna sliced off its outstretched arms, just an inch from her face. Persephone ducked aside as the thing landed, wailing in agony. Persephone straightened, raised the trident above her head, and stabbed downward with all her might.

The Fury exploded into yellow powder with a last, furious screech of pain.

/\/\/\/\

_A/N: Yep, I'm really cruel. I decided to stop the chapter here. I won't post again until I get at least two more reviews, so HA! YOU HAVE TO LIVE WITH A CLIFFHANGER UNTIL THEN! HAHAHAHA! ! ! ! ! !  
>-Wind<em>


	6. Demigods

_"DIE!" screeched the Fury, but suddenly time slowed down. As the Fury lunged, Arianna sliced off its outstretched arms, just an inch from her face. Persephone ducked aside as the thing landed, wailing in agony. Persephone straightened, raised the trident above her head, and stabbed downward with all her might._

_The Fury exploded into yellow powder with a last, furious screech of pain._

/\/\/\/\

"WHAT IN THE HELL WAS THAT? !" screamed Anastasia. She was currently running in a circle, flapping her arms in a panic. Aaron was still on the floor, too stunned to move. Persephone was examining her trident, while Arianna did the same with her sword. "This is so _wicked!_" whistled Arianna, testing the weight of the blade, tossing it in the air and catching it just as easily.

Mr. Brunner looked very unhappy, his brow creased in a huge worry line. "Um, Mr. Brunner? What was that- that thing?" asked Haley, looking at him curiously. "A Fury, one of Hade's torturers," answered Persephone automatically.

That got Mr. Brunner to move. "Please Persephone, if you don't mind, don't say those names aloud. Names have power, and you could attract some…. Ah, unwanted attention," said Mr. Brunner.

He sat back and called, "Ginerva! I know you're there!" The air shimmered slightly behind the Poseidon statue, and a girl around the age of nine stepped out from behind it. "Yes, Chiron?" she asked.

"Where were you?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. "I was going to help, sir, but they didn't need my help. I stayed back here incase they needed back up." Ginerva answered automatically. "And where is Isabelle?" Mr. Brunner asked.

"Here!" A girl appeared right behind Haley, making her jump in surprise. This girl was at least twelve, the same age as Persephone. "I was making sure there weren't anymore monsters!" she said, beaming at Mr. Brunner until he fixed her with a stern stare. "She was following some of the 'super cute' boys," Ginny answered the unasked question, making Isabelle blush and duck her head, ashamed.

Mr. Brunner turned to Persephone and her friends. "I'm afraid I will be unable to explain, but you must all go home. Now." He said.

"Wait, what? ! Our parents live in California; we can't go there right now!" said Aaron, completely flustered. Anastasia was staring blankly at Mr. Brunner like she'd just realized he was there.

"Why do we have to go home?" asked Haley, turning her head to the side quizzically. "Your parents will know what to do to keep you safe," said Mr. Brunner simply.

"Well, that's a problem; my mom lives on the other side of town," Arianna said. "And my mom and stepdad are in Hawaii for vacation," said Haley, shrugging helplessly. "My mom's apartment is a few blocks from here," offered Persephone.

"Good. I need you all to go with Persephone. Her mother should know what to do; just tell her everything that happened!" ordered Mr. Brunner.

"Okay; everyone follow me!" said Persephone, carefully helping Anastasia and Aaron to their feet. "Um…" she glanced between her trident and Arianna's sword, unsure. "Push the button on the hilts," said Mr. Brunner.

Immediately, both weapons shrank down to their disguises; a pen and a hairclip. Arianna stuck the pen in her pocket while Persephone easily clipped the hairclip in her hair **(A/N: Duh, it's a hairclip; what else do you do with it?)**.

"Isabelle, Ginerva, go with them. Make sure they stay safe at all costs!" Mr. Brunner said, turning to the two girls. "Yes sir!" they both said, Isabelle excitedly and Ginerva robotically.

/\/\/\/\

"So, I've asked this already, but….. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON? !" snapped Anastasia as she, Aaron, and her other friends and the two girls followed Persephone through several back alleys to her mom's apartment.

"Isabelle, would you care for the honor of telling them?" asked Ginerva, not looking at anyone else. "Sure thing, Ginny! Okay, so, do you guys know the Greek gods and goddesses?" asked Isabelle.

"Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, Apollo, Ares, Aretemis, Dionysus, Demeter, Aphrodite, Hermes, Hephaestus, Nemesis, Nyx, Perseph-" Persephone began, but was cut off by Isabelle.

"Whoa, whoa, yeah, those guys! Calm down! Anyway, they're real!" said Isabelle. They all stopped in their tracks.

Isabelle and Ginerva went a little forward before noticing they'd stopped, and they turned back to look at Persephone and her friends. "What?" asked Isabelle.

"They're real?" asked Anastasia skeptically. "But those are just myths!" exclaimed Haley. "Oh, really? Then was Alecto a myth as well?" asked Ginny.

"Alecto?" said Aaron, looking confused. "The Fury. That's its name," explained Persephone, her eyes filling with an understanding light. "So they're real. What does that have to do with us?" asked Arianna, eyes filled with suspicion.

"Well, what was the #1 thing the gods did back in the myths?" asked Ginny, waiting for them patiently. "They, ahem, had affairs with mortal woman," said Persephone. Aaron wolf-whistled, earning him a smack on the back of the head from Haley.

"Yes, well, that they did. And you all are results of such affairs." Ginerva said. That was it. Straight and to the point.

"W-what? ! How do you know that! ? !" cried Anastasia, her face heating up in anger and embarrassment.

"Your scent. You reek of demigod; any monster like me would be able to pick you out like a neon sign shining in a dark room." Ginny said.

"You're a monster?" asked Arianna, bringing her pen out again cautiously.

"Technically I'm a tree nymph. I carry my life force in my pocket so I'm able to move around freely, but that is not the point. The point is that you are all demigods; half-human, half-god, and your scent attracts monsters. We must get you to Mrs. Jackson's apartment so she can help you get somewhere safe," explained Ginny.

"How do you know we're all demigods? We've been living in the same dorm for months; we could just all smell like one!" said Haley desperately. "Well, Persephone and Arianna are for sure; a mortal could've never taken down Alecto. We'll find out about the rest of you when we get you somewhere safe," said Isabelle

"Somewhere safe?" echoed Aaron, his face creasing in confusion. "Yes. Somewhere monsters can't get to. It's a special camp for other demigods like you and me!" said Isabelle, beaming.

"You're one too?" asked Anastasia. "Yep! I'm Isabelle Pike, daughter of Nyx! Me and Ginny here were assigned to protect you, but it seems like we're doing a pretty lousy job so far," said Isabelle sheepishly.

Before anyone could ask more questions, Ginny said, "Look, the details can wait; right now we just need to get to Persephone's home. Is it close by?"

"Yeah, this way!" said Persephone, leading the way swiftly down an alleyway.

/\/\/\/\

_A/N: YAY! They find out what they are; who they are comes later, though it's already kind of obvious who Persephone's father and Arianna's father is. PLEASE LEAVE REVIEWS! They make me happy! Laters people! ! ! ! ! !  
>-Wind<em>


	7. Fighting the Minotaur

"Mom! I'm home!" yelled Persephone as soon as she walked into her apartment. Her stepfather, who was playing poker with his pals, jumped in surprise. "You! What are you doing back here? !" he snapped foully at her. Persephone gritted her teeth, determined not to take the bait while her friends were here.

"Where's my mom?" she snapped angrily. "Persephone? ! Is that you dear?" called a woman's voice, and Sally Jackson appeared in the hallway, looking very shocked.

"Honey, who are these people? Is something wrong at school?" asked Sally, her face wrinkled slightly with worry. "Um, mom, can I talk to you somewhere else? Somewhere-" Persephone began, but Ginny spoke up. "There's no time. Mrs. Jackson, we have a code Exodus. Right now," Ginny said.

Sally's face drained of color. "Already?" she hissed, her eyes filled with terror. "Yes ma'am. We need to go. Now." Ginny said.

Sally quickly ran to her room, Persephone following her. "Mom! Where are we going?" she asked.

"A camp for people like you; it's safer for you there," sighed Sally as she snatched her purse and put a few things inside. "You mean a camp for demigods?" asked Persephone. Sally froze, then looked up at her daughter's face.

"I just found out," Persephone said before Sally could ask. Sally sighed. "Yes. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but we can have this discussion later. Come on," said Sally, grabbing her purse and walking out of the room with Persephone just behind her.

"Sally! Where are you going? ! You promised you'd make that special seven-layer dip for us!" snapped Gabe, Persephone's stepfather.

Persephone shot him her best drop-dead mega glare as she shot out the door with her mother and friends in tow.

/\/\/\/\

Unfortunately, they all had to cram inside of Gabe's car, with Sally promising him to pay for the gas. He went back inside grumbling like an oaf, Persephone glaring at the dumbass the entire time he was within sight.

"So Mrs. Jackson, how do you know what code Exodus is?" asked Aaron as he was forced to squish in a seat with his sister. "I've been preparing for this for years, ever since I had Persephone. They told me it was too big a risk ever since that incident last year, but I-I couldn't send you away!" Sally said, choking up as she sent a tearful look at Persephone.

Last year; what a nightmare. Persephone had been at a park with her friend Megan on a completely normal day. But when they were walking home, some pedophile creep had tried to kidnap them both… it was the first time Persephone had ever fought so hard. She'd grabbed a piece of wood from a fallen tree branch in the park and had started beating him with it. She hadn't stopped when he begged for mercy. She hadn't stopped when he fell unconscious. She hadn't stopped when she got covered in blood. She hadn't stopped when Megan begged her to. She'd only stopped when at least three police officers dragged her off of him. Even after they did, they had to hold her back from continuing her beat down. The man had been proclaimed dead shortly after they got Persephone to stop completely.

Afterwards, Megan transferred schools almost immediately. She never said a single word more to Persephone, except once in passing, when she hissed in her ear, "You're a real monster, you know that?"

"Why would it be a risk after that?" asked Persephone, willing herself not to think about last year. "When demigods learn of their true identities or use excessive violence, their scent becomes much stronger for a monster to detect; that's how Alecto knew who you were when you attacked Nancy Bobofit. She could smell the god inside you," explained Ginny, who was scanning the roads and buildings they passed, as if trying to keep an eye out for any monsters even now.

"Well, I've been beating the crap out of several people with Haley all year long; how could she not have noticed that?" asked Arianna. Ginny looked over at her. "Persephone's scent is the strongest half-blood scent I've smelled in at least seven decades. Alecto could no doubt smell her as well, even when she wasn't sure. You weren't important enough for her to attack. Sorry," Ginny added at Arianna's annoyed face.

"Well, regardless, even if there are monsters attacking us, there's still the issue of our parents; who are they? Why haven't we seen them this whole time?" asked Aaron. Ginny, Isabelle, and Sally all exchanged looks.

"Not all gods care enough about their children to actually come out and see them. Even meeting your godly parent is a lot to ask for. They usually don't have the time, or they don't care. It's plain and simple." Ginny said. Ouch. Talk about knife in the back.

/\/\/\/\

They reached Long Island Sound in record timing. A storm began to rage overhead, but they paid no notice "We're almost there!" crowed Isabelle excitedly, almost smacking Aaron as she waved her hands excitedly.

"One more mile," sighed Ginny, crossing her fingers. "What?" asked Arianna. "We almost never get this far without seeing another monster!" cried Isabelle.

Oops. Talk about jinxing it all.

As soon as Isabelle said that, a loud, angry bellow sounded in a field, and suddenly a huge being came bursting out. "RIGHT!" screamed Ginny, and Sally swerved the car, barely missing the thing as it charged out.

"LEFT!" Ginny screamed again, and Sally barely had enough time to avoid a tree. "What the hell is that thing? !" cried Haley, hanging on for dear life onto her seatbelt as they swerved crazily to stay on the road.

"Didn't you see it? It's the Minotaur!" gasped Persephone as the freaky bull-man chased after their car. "DAMN IT! We're so close!" snarled Ginny, but she quickly unbuckled her seatbelt.

"What the hell are you doing? !" gasped Anastasia. "I'm your protector; it's about time I did some protecting!" snapped Ginny, and she opened the car door and rolled onto the road.

Standing like she'd just been taking a nap, Ginny slapped her bracelet. Immediately a shield sprang out of nowhere. Ginny pressed a button on a flashlight she had on her hip, and it elongated into a spear. She advanced easily toward the Minotaur, who had stopped in surprise when she jumped out.

"Well, Beefy? Are you coming to get me or not?" she shouted above the wind and thunder. The Minotaur shook himself out of his stupor and charged at the small nine-year-old tree nymph.

/\/\**(A/N: I thought about ending the chapter here, but then I though: eh, what the heck? On with the story!)**/\/\

Persephone watched out the back window, horrified as the short little girl that she'd just met now facing certain doom even if she did have some weaponry. Persephone rounded on Isabelle furiously. "Why aren't you helping her? !" she snarled. Isabelle shrank, obviously terrified. "I-I'm only a junior protector! Ginny has been doing this for seventeen years; she doesn't need my help!" she stammered.

Persephone glanced out the window again before unbuckling her own seatbelt. "Don't you dare!" snapped Haley, grabbing Persephone's arm before she could reach for the door handle.

"What the hell is the point of being a freaking demigod if I don't kill monsters? !" Persephone shot back, wrenching her arm out of Haley's grip and jumping out the door. "PERSEPHONE!" screamed Sally, but she didn't slow down. She had to get these other kids to safety… even at the cost of her own daughter.

/\/\/\/\

Persephone ran toward the Minotaur, yanking the hairclip out of her tangled locks and shouting, "_Riptide! Awaken!_" in ancient Greek. The huge, shining gold trident appeared in her hand as she fell in beside Ginny.

"What in Hades are you doing here? !" snapped Ginny as she dodged a swipe from the Minotaur's arm and delivered a gash in his arm, making him bellow in rage.

"I came to help; duh!" snapped Persephone, barely blocking being impaled by the Minotaur's horns. "Oh yes; the help of an untrained, inexperienced demigod is going to help lots! Thanks!" snapped Ginny sarcastically.

"It's better than you getting pulverized!" Persephone snapped back, ducking another swipe from the Minotaur's arm.

Suddenly, the screech of tires could be heard, and the next second the Minotaur was hit head-on by Gabe's old Camaro. Persephone remembered Gabe mentioning "Not a scratch!" to her mother before they left. Whoops.

The car rolled up and over and landed upside down on the impact, but the Minotaur didn't escape unharmed; one of his horns was broken off, leaving him bellowing in rage.

"MOM!" cried Persephone, quickly running up to the car to see her mother alive and hanging upside down by her seatbelt. "Are you okay? Where are the others?" Persephone questioned as she carefully helped her mother out of the wreckage.

"I let them go ahead up the hill; I decided I may as well save my daughter the trouble of fighting some freaky bull-man!" laughed Sally, though it was shaky and she was trying to clear her head.

"WATCH OUT!"

Ginny's warning came too later. Suddenly, the Minotaur grabbed both Persephone and Sally by the throats, holding them up in a tight grip.

"Damn-it-not this-again!" gasped Persephone, feeling just as feeble as she had when Alecto was snarling at her. "Persephone-no-swearing!" Sally scolded. Persephone would've laughed if she could; they were facing certain doom, and her mom was worried about her swearing habits.

"Tell-that to Gabe. Where- do you-think-I learned-the words-from?" coughed Persephone, grinning. "True, but-you know-your stepfather. He-never listens-to me!" choked Sally. She smiled at Persephone before saying, "Kick this thing's ass for me, got it?"

And then she vanished in a huge flash of golden light, like a fading hologram. One second she was there, and the next, she was just… gone.

"MOM!" screamed Persephone.

Her tired, aching limbs were suddenly abound with energy, but Persephone knew it wasn't energy really; it was rage. Lifting Riptide in her hand, she was able to stab the Minotaur in the foot, causing him to bellow in pain and throw her to the side as he hopped on one foot, screaming.

Persephone hit the ground hard. Choking in a lungful of air for the second time that day, she blinked rain water out of her eyes to see the Minotaur coming towards her, furious. "Aw, damn it," coughed Persephone, and she closed her eyes toward the inevitable.

_WHAM!_

Persephone looked up in surprise as the monster was rammed into and flung away by a being much smaller than it. "You okay?" asked the being, straightening up from its protective stance and looking her in the eye.

The breath caught in Persephone's throat as she looked into the most beautiful dark-grey eyes she'd ever seen. The being was really a boy- her age, she might add- with dark olive skin, black hair, and grey eyes. He was holding a golden sword like Arianna's, but it looked out of place in his hand; he looked like he'd be better with a grey or black sword. He was dressed completely in black and he looked like he had just run all the way here, just to save her.

Persephone found herself blushing as she stammered, "Y-yes, I'm alright!" The boy grinned. "Good. Then, if you don't mind, I think I'll need some help against this _thing._"

He looked at the Minotaur in disgust as it straightened itself up angrily. Behind it, Ginny was frozen in shock, as if not daring to butt in on this new predicament.

The boy quickly helped Persephone to her feet as the Minotaur pawed the ground, ready to charge. "Here it comes," said the boy, holding his sword expertly in front of himself. Persephone held out Riptide, determined not to look weak in front of this kid.

And the Minotaur charged straight towards them…. The last thing it saw was a flash of two gold weapons coming towards it.

/\/\/\/\

Persephone's arms were numb as she dropped Riptide on the ground; it immediately shrank back into a hairclip. Persephone felt sick and exhausted, but forced her legs to take her over to the Minotaur's horn that the car had broken off.

"di Angelo!" snapped a voice. Persephone turned to see Ginny marching up to the boy who'd saved her, her eyes glittering with fury. "How dare you leave the camp grounds without permission? ! You know it isn't safe for someone as powerful as you to come waltzing out whenever you like-!" "Whoa, whoa, Ginny, calm down!" said the boy, holding up his arms in surrender, "I found this group of newbies at the Hill, and when they said you and their friend were left behind, I couldn't resist! Besides, I just saved both of you, so stop your bitching!"

Ginny looked so outraged at his obvious insubordination that she was near exploding, but she didn't say a word. Instead, she started stalking away, still fuming.

The boy turned and locked eyes with Persephone. Persephone blushed as a flash of butterflies flew through her stomach when he grinned at her. "Sorry about Ginny; she's a real pain in the ass sometimes," he said. Persephone could only nod.

"I'm Nico, by the way," he said, offering his hand. "Nico di Angelo."

"Persephone Jackson," Persephone was barely able to croak out after being choked twice in one day as she shook Nico's hand.

Suddenly, all the remaining energy that had filled her when her mother died disappeared, and Persephone collapsed. She would've hit the pavement hard if Nico hadn't caught her. "Whoa, there!" he said, gently lifting her up a little so she was still standing. "I think it's about time you took a break, huh?" he asked gently, grinning at her.

Persephone grinned back and mumbled, "Sure," before she submerged into unconsciousness.

/\/\/\/\

_A/N: KYAA! ! ! ! Persephone and Nico! EEEEEEEK! ! ! ! ! ! Super cute! Anyway, remember; review or vote for this story for more updates! Laters people!  
>-Wind<em>


	8. Intermission: The New Girl

_After she collapsed, Nico carefully lifted the girl Persephone in his arms bridal style. He caught Ginny raising an eyebrow at him, but he ignored it. Kneeling down, he carefully picked up her hairclip before standing back up and looking at Ginny. "We should go," he said, "She's too weak to fight off any other monsters if they come."_

_Ginny nodded and turned towards Half-Blood Hill. "I'll make sure there isn't an ambush," she said, "So you can have a private moment with your girlfriend."_

_Nico blushed and snapped, "I just met her! She's not my girlfriend!" "Sure, she isn't _for now_," said Ginny, grinning as she turned away and led the way up the road._

_Not wanting to prove Ginny right, but finding himself unable to resist, Nico looked again at Persephone's face. Her dark black hair framed her face beautifully even when she was asleep, and the fighting spark he had seen in her blue-green eyes when she was awake had been fierce and protective; this girl would give up anything to save people she loved, but as Nico had seen while arriving here, she'd failed to save her mother._

_Nico would've felt sympathetic, but after seeing her help him take down the Minotaur, he was sure if even tried to give her pity, she'd kick his ass. Nico grinned as he turned back to the road; this girl could be pretty interesting._

/\/\/\/\

**A/N: Eek! More PersephoneXNico! I'm already obsessed with this couple pairing and it's barely been five minutes! Hope you enjoyed this little intermission! Please Review! Laters!  
>-Wind<strong>


	9. Intermission: Reaching Camp

_Arianna stubbornly stood outside on the Big House porch as Haley, Anastasia, and Aaron explained what had happened to them all to Mr. Brunner- who, by the way, is actually a centaur named Chiron- when Arianna shouted, "They're back!"_

_Anastasia burst out the door and ran into the yard to see Ginny leading a boy with black hair back into the camp with Persephone in his arms. "She's alright," assured Ginny when Anastasia gasped at her prone form, "She's just tired."_

_"Try exhausted," suggested the boy with a wayward grin at Ginny. "This is no time to be a smartass, Nico. Just take her inside!" Ginny ordered, shooting Nico a class-five death glare._

_"Ginerva. What happened to the Minotaur and Mrs. Jackson?" asked Chiron, coming out to stand with Haley and the others. "Both dead," said Ginny, tossing the Minotaur horn to Chiron, who looked at it in shock. "Sorry," she added when she saw the crestfallen faces of Persephone's friends._

_Suddenly, as Nico began walking up the porch steps, Persephone moaned in pain. Ginny was beside them both in a flash, checking her pulse and temperature. "She overexerted her energy way too much," she said critically, "Nico, take her to the guest room. Isabelle, get me some ambrosia and nectar."_

_Nico quickly did as he was told while Isabelle disappeared into the kitchen. Aaron tried to follow Nico, but Ginny blocked his way. "Is she alright? Come on, I want to help!" he said. Ginny raised an eyebrow. "You have ZERO medical training; I can tell just from looking at you. You'll have to stay out here," she said, shoving him back slightly._

_Isabelle reappeared and handed her a bowl of golden pudding-like mush and a glass of what looked like apple juice. Ginny snatched them both and disappeared into the room._

_Several seconds later, she shoved Nico out as well. "Ginny! You know I can help her!" he snapped, but she retorted, "No offense, but I saw the way you were looking at her while we were coming back here. I don't think she'd appreciate any….. unnecessary care."_

_Nico's face heated up like an oven. "I-I wouldn't do-" "I'm kidding! But seriously, it would probably be better if you just waited out here," said Ginny with a mischievous grin before she closed the door in his face. "I wouldn't have done anything!" he called through the wood. "That's what they all say, dumbass!" Ginny called back._

_Nico shook his head and turned from the door to see Persephone's friends staring at him. "What?" he asked warily. "Would you _really _have done nothing?" asked Anastasia and Aaron; Anastasia' eyes were aglow with amusement and teasing while Aaron had a jealous, overprotective fire in his eyes. Uh-oh._

/\/\/\/\

**A/N: Okay peoples, we're getting into the thick of things now! PersephoneXNico still going strong! Remember: REVIEW PLEASE! ! ! ! ! Laters!  
>-Wind<strong>


	10. Thank You

Persephone awoke in a daze, opening her eyes to the sound of arguing.

"Nico! Come on, move it! You've been sitting out here for the past two days; I told you, when she wakes up I'll come get you! You don't have to be her freaking shadow!" That was Ginny's voice.

"I want to know when she wakes up _as soon _as she wakes up!" That was Nico's voice. Persephone felt her face heat up when the memory suddenly rushed back; of Nico catching her in his arms and picking her up like a princess.

Suddenly, a rack of coughing hit her, and Persephone sat up, coughing harshly as her throat healed itself of the remaining pain of being choked half to death twice.

Immediately, Ginny shot into the doorway, followed closely by Nico, both of them wearing surprised looks at her sudden consciousness. Ginny grabbed a glass of water from a table and brought it to her.

Persephone accepted the glass gratefully, taking a long deep drink to stop her from hacking up a lung. Finally, she let out a long sigh as she handed the glass back. "Thanks, I needed that!" she said, her voice slightly husky as she lay back on the pillows.

Ginny put the glass down and carefully felt Persephone's forehead. "No more signs of fever," she said improvingly, "Alright then, you don't need me here for life-support anymore! As soon as you're ready, I have a new set of clothes for you in the closet! Bye!"

Ginny stood and, after shooting Nico a teasingly suspicious look, headed out the door with a wide smirk on her face as she closed the door behind her.

Persephone rubbed her throat gingerly, trying to look anywhere but at the boy who'd saved her life as the awkward tension in the room got thicker. "I'm glad you're alright," he said, trying to break the ice.

"Yeah well, my mom always said I'm too awesome to die," said Persephone, smiling sadly at the memory of her mother disappearing in that flash of gold light. "I'm sorry…. About your mother, I mean," he said as she glanced over at him.

Persephone nodded, furiously blinking back tears; there was no way in hell that she would let herself look like a stupid damsel in distress in front of Nico after he'd just saved her life and obviously been worrying about her for several days now.

Nico suddenly held up something; the Minotaur's horn. "Ginny thought you may as well keep it; it's a trophy, after all. You defeated the Minotaur," he explained.

"You helped me!" said Persephone, confused. Nico smiled ruefully. "I've got enough trophies, and besides, you dealt the killing blow, remember?" Persephone nodded slowly; that memory was slightly foggy since she'd passed out right after.

Nico placed the horn on the table and turned toward the door. "Well, I'll let you get changed!" he said, pulling the door open slowly.

"N-Nico!"

Nico turned back to see Persephone blushing slightly. "Well, um, thanks, you know; for saving me and all," she stammered, not looking him in the eye. Nico grinned and gave her a two-fingered salute. "The pleasure was all mine!" he said before he closed the door.

/\/\/\/\

Persephone opened the closet to find some very old fashioned Greek armor and a teal blue shirt that said 'CAMP HALF-BLOOD' on the front inside with a pair of jeans. Persephone pulled out the shirt and changed into it and the jeans. She examined herself ruefully in the mirror before she spotted what was missing; Riptide, her lethal hairclip, was on the table next to the Minotaur's horn.

Picking up the clip, she carefully clipped her bangs out of her face with it and examined herself again. This time, she looked much better; the clip seemed to know how to make her look better. Smiling, Persephone turned and, after grabbing the Minotaur horn, opened the door to find Nico waiting patiently in the hall in a chair that looked like it had been moved there just for him to wait.

"Ready for the tour?" he asked with a wide grin at her new outfit. "Sure," Persephone said with a grin, and together they left the Big House and let Persephone get her first glimpse of Camp Half-Blood.

/\/\/\/\

_A/N: So much PersephoneXNico, so little time! Hope you enjoyed; I know I did! Please review or vote for this story in my profile poll to make me update faster. Laters people!  
>-Wind<em>


	11. Becoming Queen of the Bathroom

"Wow!"

That was the only thing Persephone could say when she first saw Camp Half-Blood; I mean, it was beautiful! A rolling stretch of land with cabins, a forest, a field of strawberries, and her favorite; a view of the ocean. Persephone always felt safer near the water - don't ask her why, it's always been that way.

"Like it?" asked Nico, amused at her fascination. "Yes! This place is _beautiful!_" Persephone gushed, gazing around at everything that was within her sightline. "Yep, it sure is beautiful," said Nico, but he wasn't staring at the camp; he was gazing at Persephone's amazed face as she took in the entire camp.

"Where do we go first?" she asked, turning back to him; luckily for Nico, he averted his eyes just a second before she did. "Anywhere you want to go, or I could just show you everything like I usually do for newbies," he offered.

"Oh, I don't know; just take me anywhere!" she said excitedly.

So he did.

/\/\/\/\

They started at the cabins. Twelve cabins, six on each side, surrounded a small commons area in the middle. A fire pit was in the center, where a little girl – possibly around nine or ten – was stoking the small embers.

"These – obviously – are the cabins," said Nico. Persephone gazed around at them all as he explained that there was one for each Olympian god or goddess, and that all undetermined or lesser children stayed in the Hermes cabin. "I guess you'll be with me and your other friends. I'm undetermined," he explained when she shot him a questioning look.

"Oh. Is being undetermined a bad thing?" asked Persephone curiously. Nico's eyes hardened as he said, "Well, if you're not determined within your first few months at camp, it probably means your godly parent doesn't have time for you or just doesn't care enough to point who you are. I've been here for six years and I was never determined."

Persephone gaped at him before quickly backtracking. "Sorry! Sorry! I didn't mean to pry or anything! I was just – you know – curious," she said quickly.

Nico forced a smile and said, "It's alright; you don't have to worry about it. Besides, since you're undetermined as well, that means we're in the same boat now!" Persephone grimaced slightly, then shrugged.

"Well, there's really nothing we can do except prove to our parents that we really _are _worthy of their recognition. Let's do that, alright?" she said, offering her hand. Nico grinned and took her hand. "Deal. We'll show them how wrong they are if they think we're useless!" he said.

"Mm-hmm!" agreed Persephone.

/\/\/\/\

Nico led Persephone the rest of the way around camp; the strawberry fields, the climbing wall, the amphitheater; he also explained that she shouldn't try going in the woods until she's had at least a week or two's experience at capture-the-flag.

Finally, as he was leading her back to the cabins a voice right behind them said, "Well, well, fresh meat!"

Nico cringed and turned along with Persephone to see three very big girls walking towards them. "Clarisse from the Ares cabin!" he hissed through the side of his mouth. Persephone nodded in understanding; he's already explained to her what they did to newbies.

"What do you want, Clarisse?" asked Nico as politely as he could while he still reached a hand for his pocket, which held his pen-sword Slicer. "Nothing from you, wise-ass!" Clarisse snapped, shoving him back slightly into the waiting arms of one of her cabin-mates. "Agh! Damn it!" he spat, trying to struggle free even though he knew it was futile; all the Ares kids were stronger than normally possible for even a demigod.

Clarisse grabbed Persephone by the hair before she could reach for Riptide, yanking her head back and forth like a doll. Persephone gasped and tried to break free, but Clarisse just laughed cruelly.

"Well, well, lookie what we got here; perhaps little miss rookie thinks she's 'Big Three' material!" Clarisse mocked, making her ugly friends laugh in unison. "We got a little 'orientation' ceremony for brats like you; come on!"

And with that, Clarisse dragged Persephone by her hair towards the bathroom, her cabin-mate bringing Nico along for the ride. Nico struggled like a madman, thinking, 'If she hurts _one _of those single hairs, I'll kick her ass all the way to Hades!'

Clarisse kicked open the bathroom door and dragged Persephone to an open stall. "Hope you can hold your breath, sweetheart!" hissed Clarisse, and she forced Persephone's head down. But Persephone held her head just above the disgusting murky water.

'No way in _hell_ am I letting her do this to me; especially in front of Nico!' she thought, and she gritted her teeth in a fierce snarl. Suddenly, the pipes shook, and a burst of water shot out of the toilet.

It arced over Persephone's head and spat directly in Clarisse's face. Clarisse screamed, and when her friends tried to help, the other toilets and the showers exploded as well, all the water shooting Clarisse and her ugly friends out the door.

Only Persephone, Nico and his captor were spared the flood, but it gave Nico just enough time for him to flip his guard over his shoulder into a pool of the shitty water. The guy spluttered and gagged, slipping himself out of the door as well to follow his cabin-mates.

Nico gazed at Persephone in amazement. "How did you do that?" he asked in awe. Persephone could only gaze in astonishment at the water and say, "I have no idea."

When they exited the bathroom, Clarisse was surrounded by campers. "You are so dead, bitch! You'll pay for that!" she screamed. Persephone only smirked.

"Would you like another mouthful of toilet water, Clarisse? If so, call me anytime!" she laughed.

Clarisse had to be dragged away by her cabin-mates as she tried to lunge at Persephone as she stood there triumphantly. Nico stared at her again. "What?" she asked, blushing. "I need you on the capture-the-flag team ASAP."

/\/\/\/\

_A/N: Ha ha! Clarisse gets OWNED! HURRAY! ! Anyway, remember to review!  
>-Wind<em>


	12. Intermission: Warning Her Master

Persephone and Nico walked back to the Hermes cabin, unaware if the green eyes that followed their movements.

/\/\/\/\

_Ginny turned away from the scene and lifted up the bowl of herb water she was talking to. "It's exactly as you said it would be, my Lady. This girl is truly powerful!"_

_The herb water cleared slightly to reveal a distorted face. Though it was hard to see, Ginny saw the face's eyes roll. "Of course she is! Anyone that's named after me would have to be powerful!" said the face in a beautiful woman's voice._

_The water cleared completely for a moment, revealing the beautiful face of the spring goddess Persephone- blonde hair, violet eyes, gleaming white teeth, pale white skin._

_A second later, an herb drifted through the reflection and distorted it once again. Ginny studied the patterns of the herbs floating around nervously. "We don't have much time left, my Lady. Is there anything else I need to do for you?" she asked shakily._

_"Yes; make sure you finish your original mission, and also….. warn me when the girl is determined. If it is my husband that is her father, I'll take care of it, but if it's someone else…." Persephone's voice became distant and garbled, like she'd been speaking into a cell phone just as she was entering a tunnel._

_"My Lady? !" exclaimed Ginny, trying to move the herbs around with her fingers into their correct order to reestablish the connection with her master. Persephone's image reappeared, though it was shaky and hard to see._

_"Forgive me. My husband is looking for me. Just remember to finish your mission as soon as possible, Ivy!" said Persephone. Ginny flinched at the sound of her real name as her master's voice faded and her image dissolved completely into the water._

/\/\/\/\

_Persephone sighed, lowering the bowl of herb water in her hands and staring thoughtfully out of her window into the Underworld._

_"Persephone Jackson…. You could be a source of entertainment for me yet," she mused, rubbing her chin thoughtfully._

_Suddenly, a voice boomed, "PERSEPHONE! What's taking you so long? !"_

_Persephone narrowed her eyes and grimaced before calling back in an overly sweet tone, "Just making sure I look acceptable to you, Lord Hades!"_

_With a final irritated sigh, she stood and exited the room, leaving the small bowl of herb water sitting on her window sill._

/\/\/\/\

**A/N: The plot thickens! Tell me what you think ASAP; I love you all, guys, but I'd like it if more than three people reviewed. EVERYONE REVIEW! ! ! ! ! ! ! !  
>-Wind<strong>


	13. Winning a Reputation

_A/N: Hey people! I just wanted to say thanks for the reviews, and to answer __Yume Li__'s question: the reason why the goddess Persephone is still in the Underworld is going to be revealed soon, so just hang tight; it's all part of the unforeseen plot-twists that I love making up!_

/\/\/\/\

Persephone wrinkled her nose at the sight of the Hermes cabin. "All the undetermined campers stay here? _All _of them?" she asked, looking at the small cabin skeptically. Nico grimaced and said, "Yeah, I know. Its cramped 24/7."

Before Persephone could respond, a shout rent the air and a being slammed into Nico at top speed. "NICO!" it shouted.

Nico tried to disentangle himself. "Agh! Bianca! Damn it, let go!" he ordered, but she wouldn't be fazed; she held him at arm's length and snarled in his face, "YOU JACKASS! How DARE you kill the Minotaur without me? ! ? ! You could've come and get me _before _you went and killed it! I've wanted to fight that thing for _ages,_ but _no! _You had to go out without me and return as the ever conquering hero; _again!_"

"There was no time, you dumbass! Besides, I don't show off; you're the one who killed that hellhound the first week we were here!" Nico retorted. Before Bianca could snap back, a voice asked, "Who's this?"

Nico turned to see a very angry-if not jealous- looking Persephone, her arms folded over her chest. "Oh, Persephone, this is my sister Bianca; Bianca, this is my new friend, Persephone Jackson," he introduced them. Bianca just gave him a 'this-isn't-over' glare before smiling pleasantly while she shook Persephone's hand.

"You're named after the goddess Persephone?" she asked, looking slightly confused. Persephone, obviously trying not to look insulted, said, "Yeah, my mom loved her name, so she used it for me."

Bianca nodded slightly before turning back to Nico. "Has she had a full tour?" He nodded. "Good! Then you should introduce her to everyone in our cabin now; I've already heard tales of your adventures in the bathroom, and if that doesn't win you some points with these people, I don't know what will!" she exclaimed.

And so, they walked up the steps into the Hermes cabin.

/\/\/\/\

"Everyone! This is Persephone Jackson; that newbie that killed the Minotaur!" exclaimed Bianca as soon as she stepped into the cabin. Everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at her. Nico elbowed Bianca – hard – and hissed, "Way to be subtle, dumbass!" "Hey, it's _your _girlfriend, you know!" she hissed back.

Nico felt his face heating up. "How many times must I tell you people; I just met her! We're not dating!" he hissed even quieter than last time. "Yet!" she added.

Meanwhile, Persephone was rubbing her arm awkwardly as everyone stared at her; some looked jealous, others looked curious, and yet others looked completely indifferent to the fact that she was now here.

"Um… hi?" she said.

"Regular or undetermined?" asked a voice near the back of the room. Persephone answered with a foul look at the speaker, "Undetermined. Got a problem with that?"

Everyone groaned, some rolling their eyes. A guy a little older than the rest of them came forward, saying, "Now, now, campers, that's what we're all here for. Welcome, Persephone. You can have that spot right over there."

He pointed to a spot on what seemed to be the 'girls' side of the cabin. Persephone smiled, and was about to say "thanks" when somebody snapped, "You do realize it's very disrespectful to be named after a goddess that's a lot prettier than you, right?"

Several people laughed. Persephone's face lit up with embarrassed anger as she snapped, "It's not my fault my mom liked that name! And for the record, I LOVE my name; so if you've got a problem with it, you can just eat it, jackass!"

It became quiet for a moment; then everyone went "ooooooooooh!"

The speaker, a girl with red hair and grey eyes, stood up and snarled, "What did you just call me? !" Persephone smirked and said very slowly, "J-A-C-K-A-S-S. Jackass."

More people went "ooooooooooh" as the girl walked up to her, her face alight with fury. "Nobody speaks to a daughter of Nemesis like that without getting pulverized for it! You're going down!" she snarled and lunged.

Persephone sidestepped and said, "Really? Because I just defeated Clarisse of the Ares cabin in a fight, so I'm saying your chances are pretty low, don't you think?" With that, Persephone delivered a kick to the girl's jaw that probably knocked out at least one tooth and then delivered a punch to the girl's gut.

She went down with a grunt of pain, which is probably all she could do with her possibly-broken jaw.

Silence. Then….

"Holy-! She just took down Heather in less than ten seconds!"  
>"Well, I guess we can see why it was <em>her <em>of all people that killed the Minotaur."  
>"Damn! I was planning on pranking her in her sleep, but now that option is out!"<p>

Persephone tried not to blush at the comments being tossed through the air as Nico grabbed her wrist and said, "And now is when we make our escape!"

He bolted out of the cabin, dragging Persephone along with him with Bianca watching, shaking her head, as she sighed, "Seriously, my dear little brother, did you have to make it _that obvious _that you like her?"

/\/\/\/\

_A/N: Yep. More own-age. Anyway, hoped you liked this chapter! Remember to review! Laters people!  
>-Wind<em>


	14. Concern & Jealousy

When they were safely hidden in the deeper labyrinth of the strawberry fields, Nico let go of Persephone's wrist and turned to face her. "Honestly! If you keep beating the crap out of everyone, it'll come back to bite you; hard," he huffed, looking her in the eye.

Persephone could tell he was angry, but the anger slightly masked a concern she could just see in his eyes. Persephone shrugged. "They're asking for it if they insult me. I never tolerated bullies or insults at school; there's no way putting up with it now!" she snarled fiercely.

Nico shook his head, but his eyes softened as he said, "Fine. Just so long as you don't get yourself killed. Come on." And with that, he grabbed her hand again and led the way out of the maze of strawberries.

/\/\/\/\

"Hail, the conquering hero returns!" cried a voice as Nico and Persephone exited the strawberry fields, and suddenly Anastasia and Arianna appeared beside them, Aaron and Haley following behind them. "Hey guys!" cried Persephone, pulling them all into a group hug and ignoring Aaron's glare being directed towards Nico as he dropped her hand, "Where've you all been?"

"Helping Arianna move out of the Hermes cabin," sighed Haley a little wistfully. "What?" Persephone asked, her eyes darting to her other friend's smug expression. Persephone's eyes widened.

"You got determined? !" she gasped. Arianna grinned and she made a peace sign with her fingers and winked. "You know it! You are now in the presence of the daughter of Ares, baby! Boo-yah!" she hollered, pumping her fist in the air in triumph.

"How'd you find out? !" demanded Persephone. "The Ares sign appeared above her head after she beat a guy two times bigger than her in a duel. It was awesome!" Anastasia cried, slapping Arianna on the back.

"Now that just leaves you and Haley!" said Arianna. Persephone gaped in surprise at her before directing her astonishment to Anastasia and Aaron. "Apparently, we're children of Apollo. We got determined during archery class; we hit a target at least half a mile away and the sign just….. appeared," Anastasia explained. "Wow!" said Persephone.

For just a second, her eyes filled with a jealous longing, but it was quickly replaced by a broad grin as she cried, "Well, congratulations! I'm happy for you guys!"

"Ahem!" coughed Nico, who was starting to feel awkward being somewhere he obviously didn't belong. Persephone turned back to him, her eyes filled with a slight embarrassment. "Oh, sorry! Guys, this is-!"

"We know," Aaron interrupted, his voice cold, "We've met him already." It was the first time he'd spoken at all. Nico leveled a glare at him, and they glared daggers at each other for several seconds before Persephone said, "Well, he was just showing me around the camp and it's AMAZING! Don't you think? !"

"It sure is!" laughed Haley, and Arianna and Anastasia nodded as well. Aaron was too busy having a stare-down battle with Nico to do anything.

"Well," said Nico sharply, "We should go back to our cabin and wait for dinner, don't you think?" "Oh," said Persephone, looking slightly disappointed before she grabbed Haley's hand and saying, "Let's go, roommate!" Haley laughed, and together they walked toward the Hermes cabin, babbling about who they hoped their Olympian parent might be.

/\/\/\/\

Nico stayed back for a second, leveling another icy stare at Aaron. "Jealous I'm spending so much time with her?" he asked innocently. "Just stay away from her, di Angelo!" Aaron snarled, but it didn't faze Nico; he grinned a little.

"Persephone can be friends with who ever she wants. And if I were you, I wouldn't be so sure she'd date me; an arrogant jerk like you doesn't deserve a girl as beautiful and wonderful as her," hissed Nico, his voice as cold as ice.

Aaron smirked slightly. "It's only a matter of time; she'll fall for me yet," he said confidently. Nico's eyes narrowed.

"You know, just because you're the son of Apollo, doesn't mean your predictions will come true," he hissed before spinning around and stalking after the girls, leaving behind a seething Aaron and two shocked girls exchanging glances.

/\/\/\/\

Waiting for dinner was a pain, but Persephone could live with it since the whispers flying about her were now hushed with respect. "You've got quite the reputation already," mused Haley, who was lying next to her on the floor, reading a book. Persephone shrugged. "Trouble follows me everywhere," she sighed.

Dinner finally came.

Persephone felt really awkward, squished between Haley and Nico at the Hermes table as she got look at the rest of the dining pavilion; even though there were several empty tables, they weren't allowed to use them unless you were the god/goddesses son/daughter.

At the head table, Mr. D/Dionysus, the reluctant camp counselor, was sitting with his three sons; twins named Castor and Pollux, and another boy named Derek. Chiron stood there as well.

After choosing some food from the buffet, Persephone participated – reluctantly – in the offering ceremony. She scooped up a handful of meat and grapes and thought, 'Whoever you are, dad, please tell me,' before dropping it into the flames.

After dinner, the Apollo cabin led a sing-a-long at the campfire.

Ginny reappeared for the first time in the whole day, but when Persephone asked her, "Where've you been?" her only response was, "Out." And considering Ginny's tone, she _really _didn't want to talk about it, it was none of Persephone's business, etc., so Persephone decided to drop the subject for now.

/\/\/\/\

_A/N: Another chapter done; HOORAY! Hope you guys liked it; Nico vs. Aaron for Persephone's heart! Who will win?... Tell me who you think should win her heart! PLEASE REVIEW! Laters!  
>-Wind<em>


	15. Dream of the Dead

_A/N: Hey guys! This chapter throws in a MAJOR plot-twist/very-important-plot-moment; we find out a little about what the crap is happening in the Underworld. Why is Persephone (goddess) still down there? What does Hades think? What does Kronos have to do with this? ? ? ? ALSO! In this story, Hades actually __**does **__care about Persephone; he's a lot nicer in my version than the real books, so if you don't like him acting out of character, either live with it or get out of here! By the way, when demigod Persephone and goddess Persephone are in the same room/place, I'll have goddess Persephone's name in __**bold**__, like this:  
><em>  
>Persephone turned to <strong>Persephone.<strong> "What now?" she asked.

_Okay! On with the story!_

/\/\/\/\

Finally, after a very long day, Persephone slowly curled up inside her sleeping bag on the floor of the Hermes cabin and closed her eyes.

Immediately, her eyes flew open to reveal she was now inside the middle of a very evil-looking castle courtyard. Stone statues of terrified people were scattered here and there, but the middle of the courtyard was a garden. Flowers and bushes of every color surrounded a pomegranate tree in the middle.

Sitting in between some rose bushes, a beautiful blonde woman sat watering the plants with a silver watering can. She sang as she worked, her voice seeming to cause the plants to rise and sway with her every word. Her blonde hair was tied out of her face, but her violet eyes were fixed so intently on her work, Persephone was sure she hadn't seen her yet.

The words the woman sang seemed to reach inside Persephone and wrap around her heart, making it want to dance along to the strange language she was singing in; the language was unlike any language Persephone had heard before. It sounded a little like Ancient Greek, but it sounded even older than that.

As the woman sang, a rose bud on the bush opened slowly to the touch of her caressing fingers. "So you finally decided to wake up, did you?" she cooed to the bud, her mouth widening in a grin.

The bush rustled slightly, and a girl – around 6-7 – rolled out from underneath it. "M-my Lady!" she gasped, looking surprised to see the beautiful woman. Persephone could tell the girl was a dryad by the way her skin was completely unnaturally pink.

"No need to be so surprised, Rosie dear. You can't expect me to ignore you!" the woman laughed, patting Rosie on the head lightly, which only seemed to make Rosie more terrified.

"Did you need me to do something, my Lady?" she asked shakily, her eyes a little wide with fear. "Yes," said the woman, "I need you to-"

"What are you doing?"

The woman jumped and Rosie disappeared with a squeal of terror in a puff of pink mist at the sound of the voice.

Persephone and the woman both turned to see a man in a black cloak leaning against the castle doorway. As Persephone watched, she could see the tortured faces of several people hidden within the folds of the cloak.

"Hades," said the woman cautiously, all friendliness in her voice gone, "What are you doing here? I thought you had an appointment with Charon."

"I did," sighed Hades nonchalantly, picking at his nails in a bored manner, "But he decided to schedule it another time; apparently some wealthy heiress just died in a car accident with money lining her pockets, and of course he couldn't resist." "And you let him go?" asked the woman in surprise.

"Well," said Hades; he continued picking at his nails, but now his piercing eyes turned to her, "I would've stopped him, but I decided I was more curious about why my wife is lying to her mother."

The woman flinched. "You figured it out?" she asked quietly. "It wasn't that hard; Demeter is allowing everything to be bright and sunny like usual in summer, and yet you're still down here with me. Now tell me, how is that?" asked Hades, his eyes scanning her as if she could be hiding her secret in her clothes or behind her back. He stopped fiddling with his nails as well, crossing his arms over his chest to stare at her curiously.

Persephone gasped, and her hand flew to her mouth; how could she not have seen it before? The woman wasn't just a random woman; she was the goddess of springtime, Queen of the Underworld: her namesake, the goddess **Persephone **herself.

Persephone quickly refocused her attention, eager to discover what this was all about and see what would happen.

**Persephone** had gotten to her feet. "That is of no concern to you!" she said stiffly, though her voice quavered slightly as Hades raised an eyebrow at her.

"None of my concern?" he repeated; his voice was a little angry, as if he had been insulted, and both Persephone's couldn't help but flinch at his tone.

**Persephone **tried to back away a little, but it didn't matter; Hades just appeared right next to her, grabbing her wrist to make sure she didn't escape him before he could say what he needed to.

"And why, pray tell, would I not be concerned about what you're doing and what's happening to you? You're my wife! I've looked after you and taken care of you for millennia! Of course I'm concerned about you!" Hades snapped.

**Persephone **froze in apparent shock, as if she'd never heard him say he cared about her before; but then _she _got angry. "You don't care what happens to _me!_" she snarled, wrenching her arm out of his grip, "You only care what happens to my face! My voice! You _never _cared about the real me! The moment you first saw me you decided to kidnap me; the moment you first heard me singing was the moment you decided to keep me down here forever! You've never cared and you never will! That's the way it is!"

Hades looked so furious he could hit her; his fists clenched at his sides, and Persephone winced, waiting for the inevitable, but he slowly relaxed his grip, to both her and her namesake's surprise.

"You're wrong."

**Persephone **raised her eyebrow, as if she couldn't believe she'd just heard that. "Excuse me?" she asked quietly.

"You're wrong," said Hades, a little louder this time. **Persephone **stared at him in astonishment, her eyes wide and her mouth open. Her mouth moved a little, looking like she was trying to speak, but no sound came out. "What?" she managed, though it came as a surprised squeak.

"You're wrong. I _did _see you like that before….. just another pretty face I could keep beside me forever. But I kept a spell on you; a surveillance spell to make sure you didn't try to escape. I saw the world through your eyes when you left with your mother every March. I saw your views on humanity and friendship. I know you want a family, and that you want to have a girl first so you can name her Tartarus, after the pit where Kronos lies. After a while, I kept the spell on you just so I could see more of your views; your hopes, your dreams, your happiness, your pain. But after every summer was done, when you came back down here, you always seemed depressed. You didn't smile like you did in the real world; down here, it's always a little forced. You forced yourself to be polite to me, then locked yourself in your room and brooded until spring came again."

Here, **Persephone **seemed to try to interrupt, but Hades was on a roll: "I tried being as polite as I possibly could around you – which, admittedly, was very hard – but nothing seemed to work. I don't know if you have an ounce of caring for me, but it doesn't matter; if there is something wrong, tell me. I'll help you in any way possible, with all my powers. I promise that on the river Styx."

**Persephone's **eyes had filled with tears. "Why?' she whispered. "Why would you go through so much trouble over me? I'm not even that powerful of goddess!"

Hades smiled sadly. "True," he said, "But I made another promise, long ago; that I would stop at nothing to see your true smile face-to-face, no matter the cost. And I intend to keep _both _of those promises."

**Persephone **hiccupped and tried to wipe her tears away with the back of her hand. "I can't tell you," she said quietly, her eyes filled with tears again.

"Why not?" asked Hades; he sounded very gentle – if the Lord of the Dead could be defined as that.

**Persephone **smiled a clearly forced smile at him. "I can't tell you. I can't risk falling truly in love with you. I… I just can't!" she cried, and she turned and ran away down the cold, dark halls of the palace.

Hades stared after her with a sad, longing look on his face, when suddenly Persephone felt a horrible, cold presence. She whirled around to find a figure, a being with no defined shape, smile slightly at the depressing scene. "She will fall for you, Lord Hades, no doubt about it," it growled quietly, "And when she does, she'll be mine to control."

And that's when Persephone woke up.

/\/\/\/\

_A/N: Well? Am I bad or what? I just totally made Hades look like a super sweet stalker person, but his feelings for __**Persephone **__are so strong, it doesn't really matter. Hope you enjoyed. Please review this story or vote for it in my profile poll if you want it updated quickly. Laters!  
>-Wind<em>


	16. Followed By the Mist

Persephone didn't get much sleep after the dream. In the morning, she was so tired she almost tripped on a rock she could've avoided clearly if she'd just been paying attention. At breakfast, she was surprised to find Arianna acting the same way. "What's the matter?" she asked after breakfast was over. Arianna blinked at her miserably and told her what happened:

/\/\ Flashback! /\/\

_Arianna looked up at the Ares cabin smugly. "Thank the freaking gods that Ares is my dad and not somebody else!" she sighed, and as she stepped forward to the cabin, a creepy voice said, "__**Hello, Arianna.**__"_

_Arianna leaped into the air in terror; there was only one person on the planet that could say her name that creepily. Arianna spun around to find her older sister behind her. "Adonis? !" she screamed._

_Adonis grinned at her. "Yep! It's me little sister! What's shakin'?" she asked. "H-how the hell are you here? ! We thought you were dead for two years!" Arianna gasped._

_Adonis waved her hand. "Monsters tried to get to me. Ginny came and helped me get here, and it was too dangerous to contact you guys again, so….. here I am!" Adonis said, as if that settled it._

_Arianna gaped up at her sister; two years ago, she'd disappeared while walking home from school. The authorities had searched everywhere….. it now made sense why nobody could figure out what happened to her and where she went._

/\/\ End of Flashback! /\/\

"So? Shouldn't you be happy that your big sister's alive and kicking?" asked Persephone, confused. Arianna shook her head. "You don't understand. My sister is _also _a daughter of Ares; that means if we ever get in a fight again like we always did, she'd kill me now! I am _so _dead meat!" she wailed to the sky.

Persephone had no idea what to say, so she just patted her miserable friend on the back and left her to her brooding. Meanwhile, Persephone was brooding as well; but she was brooding over the dream. What had it meant?

**Persephone **was still in the Underworld even though it was the middle of June, and it didn't look like Demeter was going to let the world's plants die anytime soon, so that meant that whatever trick she was playing was working. **Persephone **couldn't risk falling in love with Hades for real this time, and a mysterious figure was stalking her and possibly threatening her. It was all really confusing.

And of course, after a very hectic archery practice in which Persephone almost shot Aaron in the head, Nico noticed her odd mood and asked her about it:

"You know, if there's something bothering you, you can tell me," he said. Persephone was about to say she was alright when she remembered the awful figure; if that _thing _could watch right inside Hades' castle and not be noticed be him, then it had to be really powerful. There was no way she could do anything alone, but with some help….

Then again, she could ask any of her friends to help her with this; so, why Nico in particular? She'd just met him, for Pete's sake! But…. when she looked into his grey eyes and saw only deep concern for her, she melted and gave in.

So Persephone told him the whole dream and waited. Nico stared out at the ocean thoughtfully, his eyes narrowed in concentration. "Well, I'm not sure about the rest of it," he finally said, "But if you want to know what's happening with Lady** Persephone, **you should ask Ginny; she's a dryad too, you know."

And so they both spent about two hours looking for Ginny. When they finally found her, she was hanging upside down by a rope from a tree branch that was hanging over the river. She was mumbling something about naiads and their stupid tricks when they came up to her.

"How's it hanging, Ginny?" asked Nico innocently, and Ginny snapped an insult that sounded like, "_Go to the crows!_" in Ancient Greek. "Geez! No need to get snappy, Gin! We just wanted to ask you a question!" Nico said, holding up his hands in surrender.

"Screw you, di Angelo! Unless you're here to get me down, beat it!" Ginny snarled, struggling with the rope uselessly.

Nico rolled his eyes and murmured to Persephone, "She's in one of her moods. We're going to have to get her down." Persephone nodded and pulled Riptide out of her hair. It transformed, and she threw it at the rope.

_SNAP!_

Ginny landed lightly on her feet, as graceful as a ballerina. "Now, what do you want?" she snapped grudgingly, her eyes still filled with irritation.

And so, for the second time that day, Persephone explained her dream to somebody else. Ginny snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Lady** Persephone **couldn't possibly still be in the Underworld right now; if she was, it'd still be dead and barren around the world," she said simply. "I know that! But Hades said **Persephone **was….. tricking her mom somehow! That's gotta be possible, right? !" Persephone insisted.

Ginny shook her head and sighed again. "Look, I just saw Lady **Persephone **at Olympus a few days ago. She's fine. She's safe. There's nothing wrong with her. You have absolutely nothing to worry about. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going back to the camp," said Ginny, stomping off in the direction they'd come.

Nico turned to look at Persephone apologetically. "Look, I know what I saw! Lady **Persephone **_is _in trouble!" Persephone hissed to him, hoping he'd see it too. Nico bit his lip. "I believe you," he said, "But if Lady **Persephone **is in danger, why doesn't she just go to Olympus and get help? Zeus would destroy anyone that even looked at her wrong; she is his daughter, after all."

Persephone just shook her head. "Maybe something's keeping her trapped in the Underworld; something _other _than Hades!" Persephone said excitedly. Nico blinked in surprise.

"That certainly is a possibility," he murmured, "But who though?" Persephone didn't have an answer to that question.

/\/\ Meanwhile, in the Underworld! /\/\

_Persephone wiped the tears from her eyes, trying to regain some of her former dignity as she sat crying under a dark oak tree somewhere on the edge of the Fields of Asphodel. A hellhound lay at her feet, wagging its tail and looking up at her sadly. "Good boy," she murmured, hiccupping slightly._

_Suddenly, the hellhound sat up straight and glared into the darkness of the Underworld. "What's the matter? Arcadius? What is it?" asked Persephone, following his line of sight but seeing nothing. Arcadius growled lowly._

_A figure stepped out of the shadows. "That really was a foolish thing to do, my dear," it sighed, "Running all the way out here? My, my, you really do hate me!"_

_"Hades?" Persephone asked uncertainly, but as the figure stepped closer, she saw what it was. "Kronos!" she hissed, leaping to her feet immediately as Kronos simply held out his hands._

_"Peace," he said, "I simply wish to speak with you, my dear." Persephone huffed angrily. "Do you take me for a fool? I may be weak, but I am not stupid!" she spat._

_Persephone held out her hand, and a scythe appeared in her hand, made entirely out of Stygian iron. Kronos looked at it thoughtfully, unafraid. "It looks an awful lot like my old blade," he said wistfully, "But I did not come here to walk down memory lane."_

_Kronos shifted his gaze to Persephone. "You're right; you are weak. But only for now," he said. "What do you mean?" she asked cautiously, her eyes never leaving his for a second. Kronos waved his mist-like hand._

_"Do you take _me _for a fool, my dear? I'm not completely ignorant of the daughter of my accursed son and the wife of my other son. I know of the powers you possess, and I know you sealed most of them into a human girl to make sure I wouldn't get my hands on them. And, of course, I know that you will only be weak enough to fall under my powers if you truly fall in love; and, considering how truly _sweet _your husband is to you, that shouldn't take too long!" said Kronos proudly._

_Persephone gritted her teeth and gripped her scythe harder. "My powers are not for you to use! I made sure of that!" she hissed, trying to hold her temper. Kronos laughed._

_"It doesn't matter where you hide them my little Persephone! I will _never _stop looking for them; I mean, what are the odds of Zeus's hidden Titan powers transferring to his one of many daughters, and then for her to be brought here for me, on a silver platter? !" Kronos laughed even harder._

_"I'm not like you; I'm _nothing _like you!" Persephone snarled back at him. This seemed to sober Kronos a little; he stopped laughing and gazed down at her condescendingly._

_"Like it or not, Persephone, you were born with the powers of a Titan; you may suppress them, or hide them away, but you will never change the fact that you are one of us; just accept it. You'll learn that power is meant to be used for anything….. including revenge."_

_And Kronos disappeared, his mist-body dissolving into the surrounding blackness, leaving Arcadius standing stiff-legged and glaring where he'd disappeared, and Persephone once again crying as she let what he'd said sink in:_

"Like it or not, Persephone, you were born with the powers of a Titan; you may suppress them or hide them away, but you will never change the fact that you _are _one of us."

/\/\/\/\

_A/N: How was that? Dramatic enough? I hope that answered a few questions; if it didn't, feel free to tell me anytime! PLEASE REVIEW OR VOTE FOR THIS STORY IN MY POLL! ! ! ! ! ! ! Laters!  
>-Wind<em>


	17. Fighting a Hellhound, Finding a Traitor

/\/\ Back at Camp Half-Blood! /\/\/\

Capture-the-flag. It was supposed to be a harmless game, right?

Wrong!

The morning the game started, the Ares and Athena cabins came charging into the dining pavilion, waving the flags and cheering. Persephone gripped her silverware tightly; her cabin, Hermes, had teamed up with Athena and Apollo, while Ares had everyone else, but the real thing she was worried about was facing Arianna on the battlefield, as well as Adonis, who, although Persephone had only seen her once in passing, she had to admit, she was _terrified _of her. She looked like she could challenge even her own _father _and still win; or, at the very least, walk away alive.

"So what's the plan?" asked Persephone to Nico. He grinned at her. "No worries. Since you're a newbie, the Athenians decided to place you on guard duty, near the flag. If you need help, just give a shout, and I'll be right there beside you. Promise," he said, and gave her a wink, which gave Persephone a serious case of the butterflies, so she quickly excused herself and left the pavilion.

She leaned against a tree, sighing and staring out at the ocean. Today was going to be really great, really fun. She could feel it.

/\/\/\/\

Unfortunately, Persephone had to use a sword for the game instead of her precious Riptide. It pissed her off; her swordplay was pretty average compared to her work with her trident, but Chiron insisted her give the other team at least a small chance in a fight. Besides that, she had to carry a shield that weighed a ton and a half, putting Persephone in an honestly foul mood when they started heading out to their positions.

Anastasia and Aaron would join the rest of the Apollo cabin in climbing trees to find advantageous spots from which to fire arrows. Nico took up guard duty farther away from Persephone, though he was still within shouting-distance. Haley was right on the front lines with the rest Hermes and Athena; her swordplay had been shown to be quite impressive, although she admitted she very much disliked having a celestial bronze sword. She wanted to paint her sword black, but when she tried, it just turned gold again, much to her irritation.

So there Persephone was, standing on the edge of the creek, looking out for enemy campers, when the conch shell horn blew, signaling the beginning of the game. Screams and battle cries roared through the air, and soon the whistle of arrows and the clang of steel-on-steel could be heard from all around. "Geez, this place is worse than Sparta," hissed Persephone, though she had to admit this was pretty cool, even if she was just on guard duty.

Sighing, Persephone scanned the forest for anything that might come attacking, when a low growl came from behind her. Persephone spun around. Two pale red eyes flickered in the undergrowth. 'What in Hades?' she thought, not daring to go near it, when suddenly a furious scream rent the air, and Persephone spun back around to see five Ares campers standing on the other side of the creek, glaring at her furiously.

"KILL THE BITCH!" Clarisse herself screeched, and they all rushed forward. Persephone was glad about two things; one, that Arianna wasn't among them, and two that she could just call Nico and they could take care of them together. But she hesitated; Nico had already saved her from the Minotaur and from a face-plant on hard asphalt.

Besides, there were probably enemies trying to get past him already; he didn't need to be worrying about her right now. "Bring it on!" she snapped, raising her sword and shield.

The first kid slashed at her, but Persephone parried with her sword. Clarisse swung her spear, and Persephone blacked it with her shield, but as soon as she did, a shock went up her arm and began going numb.

Electricity. Her stupid spear was electric. "Shit!" Persephone hissed, kicking Clarisse back away from her while trying to defend herself with just one arm, which really wasn't going so well.

Another Ares camper was able to slide his legs under her and knock her feet out from under her, making Persephone sprawl in the dirt. They laughed cruelly. "Give her a haircut!" said Clarisse, "Rip it out!"

But before they could, Persephone yanked Riptide out of her hair and it transformed in her hands. She climbed back to her feet and held Riptide expertly. "Bring it on, punks!" she hissed, her arm still slightly numb.

Clarisse came forward with her spear again, and this time the shock of electricity was so bad it felt like Persephone's teeth were being shocked out of her mouth. This time, Persephone quickly backed up to the edge of the creek, her vision a little blurry and jumbled.

One of the Ares kids suddenly kicked her in the side, sending her flying into the creek and making her hit her head on the rocks. Now her vision blurred so much she was sure she was almost done. "Damn it!" she snarled, shaking away the pain and standing again with Riptide in her hands.

Her energy seemed to grow with her mounting temper, and she could feel something – she didn't know what – giving her the strength she needed. She shot forward and slammed into one camper, knocking his helmet clean off and hitting him so hard with the hilt of her trident she could see his eyes vibrate from the impact.

The second camper was stabbed clean through the arm at three points. He screamed in agony, but Persephone barely glanced at him as he fell. The last two of Clarisse's guards fell to the same trick that knocked Persephone's feet out from under her earlier; she slipped her legs under and knocked their feet around.

Last but not least stood Clarisse, looking a little surprised at the sudden burst of energy; then she seemed to shake it off and charged, roaring. Persephone sidestepped and caught her spear by the handle in between her shield and trident, and cracked it in two with a clean _SNAP!_

Persephone smacked her in the head with her shield and left her sprawled in the riverbed. Turning away, Persephone could feel the energy leaving her again; just as it had when she defeated the Minotaur.

Suddenly, the growling started up again, and Persephone turned in time to see a huge dark shape leap from the bushes and lunge at her.

_SLICE!_

Persephone opened her eyes wide in shock as the huge thing disintegrated in front of her, its claws having just sliced through her armor and gotten a good slice on her arms and abdomen. Persephone blinked dizzily, feeling the blood begin to pour, but since they weren't serious, she instead turned to see Nico staring at her, his chest heaving with every breath.

"Are you okay? !" he gasped, "I heard someone yelling and thought you needed help!" Persephone nodded slowly. "I took down Clarisse," she said simply.

"Yeah, and just got attacked by a hellhound! A HELLHOUND! They're from the Fields of Punishment; they shouldn't be able to get in here!" Nico yelled, waving his sword at the last remains of the disintegrated beast.

Persephone shrugged, then felt her body nearly collapse. She sat down hard, holding her stomach as the pain intensified. "Are you okay? Let me look!" Nico insisted, coming quickly to her side and sitting next to her.

"You don't have to baby me," gasped Persephone with a cough. "Well, isn't that what the guy is supposed to do? Treat the girl like a queen?" Nico shot back easily, pulling a roll of bandages out of his pocket.

"You certainly came prepared," she said in surprise. "You're a newbie; they always get hurt on their first try," he explained, quickly bandaging her arms, then looking at her armor.

He shifted awkwardly. "I'll have to bandage that too," he said, nodding to the blood stains that were slowly growing on Persephone's shirt. "HELL NO!" Persephone said, covering her stomach with her arms again, wincing.

"I won't do anything, I swear on the River Styx!" Nico said, holding up his hands. Thunder rolled in the clouds. Persephone glared at him, but the pain got worse, so she sighed and said, "Fine. Just this once."

Persephone took off her breastplate and set it aside before painfully lifting her shirt just enough for Nico to inspect the wound. Sounds of jubilation were coming from their side of the creek. "Did we win?" said Persephone, trying to look anywhere but at Nico.

"Sounds like it," he said, carefully tracing his fingers across her stomach, inspecting the full extent of the cuts. "It's poisoned," he said suddenly, pulling out a small bag and pulling out a little container of golden ambrosia. "Eat it," he ordered, while pulling extra bandages out.

Persephone grimaced and ate the ambrosia – which really was good; she just didn't like taking orders – while Nico quickly began dressing the wounds.

Finally, after a very long, tense silence, he sat back and said, "Done!" Persephone quickly dropped her shirt back over her abdomen, shooting him an embarrassed glare. "I swear to all of the gods, if you _ever _tell anyone about that, I'll drag you down to Tartarus myself!" she snarled, though it was half-hearted.

"Whatever. As long as you're still alive. You've kinda grown on me; if you died just like that, I'd be all depressed!" said Nico cheekily, grinning at her despite the awkward situation they'd just been in together. He glanced at the setting sun. "We should get back to everyone else," he suggested, and Persephone quickly agreed.

He helped her to her feet and, after grabbing Riptide and her shield, they disappeared on the trail back to camp, unaware that two pairs of eyes were following them.

/\/\/\/\

_Ginny smirked in the tree she was hiding in. "Told you it was only a matter of time, di Angelo!" she laughed quietly._

/\/\/\/\

_Aaron felt his mind go blank with rage as his best friend and archrival disappeared onto the trail. "Damn him! The hellhound was supposed to go after him, not her!" he snarled furiously, but then a voice spoke in his head:_

_"Don't worry, young warrior, your time for revenge will come; not now, but soon," it assured. Aaron glared and muttered, "I just hope you're right, Lord Kronos."_

/\/\/\/\

_**A/N: The plot thickens even more! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Really hope you liked the Persico moment; I just wanted to give you fellow Persico fans some candy for reviewing! I LOVE YOU ALL! Laters!  
>-Wind<strong>_


	18. Intermission: Instructions

_Ginny was returning to the camp after watching her best friend and his new girlfriend – and yes, she was quite convinced that it would happen someday – when a blue bird landed on her shoulder and chirped. Ginny's expression immediately darkened, and she landed near a small puddle._

_Pulling a bag out of her pocket, she opened it and sprinkled some herbs into the water. Instantly most of the mud disintegrated, and soon the face of her master appeared in the water. "Is there something wrong, Lady Persephone?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder to make sure nobody could see her._

_Persephone looked awful; tears still tracked down her face, and her eyes were bright red from crying for a long time. Her blonde hair was a little disheveled, but her violet eyes still radiated a sense of power and urgency._

_"He came to me – Kronos did – in the Fields of Asphodel," hissed Persephone. Ginny's face paled. "B-but…. He's supposed to be unable to leave Tartarus! How is it possible that he could….. actually _speak _to you? ! I knew he was after your powers, but-!" "I don't know," interrupted Persephone, "Maybe he's gained some new followers and they are lending him strength. Either way, he's tracked down that my power's host is at camp. You'll have to get her out of there!"_

_"B-but, my Lady, the only way I'll be allowed to do that is by taking her on a quest, and we still don't know who her father is-!" Ginny protested. Persephone once again interrupted, "I know that! But… talk to Chiron. The summer solstice is approaching in two weeks; we don't have much time left to find the master bolt! Just convince him that you have an errand to run for me and you need some help. That should work; Chiron's always had a soft spot for me."_

_"Do you know where the bolt is, my Lady?" Ginny hissed. Persephone was silent for a long moment before she said, "Listen to me _very _carefully. This is probably the last time I can give you instructions for a while." Ginny blinked, and was about to protest, but Persephone cut her off:_

_"You need to take Persephone Jackson and whoever else you want on a quest. Come to the Underworld – and yes, I know it's dangerous – but you need to do it. Your coming here with our young Mini-Me should allow me to escape. After that, we can look for the bolt together. Got all that?"_

_Ginny swallowed. "Why can't you come out yourself? Miss Jackson already suspects you're still down there; she saw it in a dream," she asked quietly. Persephone smiled. "I'm afraid that I am completely unable to leave. If I do, Kronos would no doubt be able to find Mini-Me. My being here is the only thing that prevents him from finding her, but if I leave with her, he should just mistake her scent for mine. Can you or can you not do what I ask of you?" Persephone questioned._

_Ginny straightened and gave a salute. "I'll try as hard as I can, my Lady!" she said, determined not to fail a direct request from her master. Persephone grinned. "Wonderful. I'll be waiting for you at my secret hide-away on the edge of the Styx. You'll have to call me when you get there; if you are unable to do so discreetly, then call for Arcadius. He'll help you as much as he can," she instructed._

_With that, Persephone's image faded from the puddle, and Ginny was left staring at the water._

/\/\/\/\

_Persephone stretched her arms, the tension slowly leaving her arms as she did so. "I wonder if I'm doing the right thing," she sighed aloud, scratching Arcadius behind the ears and making him wag his tail._

_"Then again, if either me or my servant fails, Olympus – and the very world – will go to war, so I guess I'm at least trying to do the right thing," she chuckled, and Arcadius whined at her._

_"I wonder; will Zeus think I've done well enough for me to have a place on Olympus? Ha, that'll be the day; even my husband doesn't have a throne there," she sighed again, slightly frustrated at the fate of all lesser gods and goddesses, even Hades, though if she called him a lesser god, he'd probably kill her. Persephone smiled slightly, though._

_"Well….. it isn't a crime to dream," she said quietly. Arcadius looked up at her with his big old eyes. "Do you think things will ever change? Do you think me and my husband will finally get some respect around here?" she asked, looking at him skeptically. Arcadius tilted his head and barked._

_"Yeah, I think so too," she said, then she laughed. "Ugh, I'm so pathetic; I have to rely on a dog for company!" she laughed. Arcadius barked._

/\/\/\/\

**A/N: I know, that last part was sort of a filler, but it did its job! Anyway, hope you enjoyed the plot-twists and the few answers that I gave! Anymore questions? Please ask! Review or vote for this story to see it updated faster! Laters!  
>-Wind<strong>


	19. Intermission: Prophecy

_Chiron was happily sitting in his little motorized wheelchair inside the Big House, reading a novel, when there was a knock on the door. "Come in!" he called, and the door opened to reveal a very pale-looking Ginny, her eyes bright._

_"Ginny? Is something wrong?" he asked quickly. "I-I'm sorry, Chiron, but I received a request from my Lady Persephone," she said, trying not to look at him directly._

_"Persephone? What did she need?" asked Chiron – he already knew most nature spirits served her, so there was no use acting surprised._

_"She…. She needs me to get something for her. From Los Angeles. She said there was a chance that it could resolve the 'solstice deadline'," she said, finally meeting Chiron's eyes. Before he could ask, she said, "She told me she was too busy with something else to get it herself, so she wants me to lead a quest to get what she needed. That's what she said." Ginny lied, her voice dripping with clear and sincere honesty._

_Chiron raised his eyebrows. "Have you chosen anyone yet?" he asked. "Indeed, sir," Ginny said, almost leaping for joy, "I've chosen Nico di Angelo and Persephone Jackson to come with me, sir."_

_Chiron hesitated. "They are both undetermined, and Persephone just got here," he said uncertainly. "I know that sir, but I have trained alongside Nico for six years now; he'll be a great help on the mission if we run into any monsters. And Persephone? I watched her fighting skills during the capture-the-flag game. I believe she will be a valuable asset to the quest," said Ginny, silently pleading that he'd buy it._

_Chiron still looked unsure, but he said, "Alright. You can go fetch them and visit the Oracle before you leave." Ginny inwardly leaped into the air with jubilee, while outwardly she just smiled and said, "Thank you, Chiron, I'll visit the Oracle first."_

/\/\/\/\

_Ginny cringed as the dust of the attic floated around her in a fog of ancient battles, just begging to be retold. "They really need to clean up around here," she gagged as the old musty smell filled her nostrils._

_She turned to the old, terrifying mummy in the corner of the room. Its mouth opened and a green mist coiled out in the shape of a serpent._

"I am the spirit of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Approach, seeker, and ask," _said an old, rasping voice right next to Ginny's ear. She didn't jump; she didn't even turn in surprise. She'd done this _way _too many times before._

"_How can I complete my Ladies orders?" Ginny asked clearly. The fog billowed up, and it became an image; Persephone, sitting in a small room on the edge of the river Styx. Persephone turned her violet eyes on Ginny, and she spoke in the rasping voice of the Oracle:_

You will head west and face the Titan who has stirred,  
>You will find what was stolen and see it safely returned.<br>You will be betrayed be one who calls you a friend,  
>You will feel pain that nothing in the world can mend.<br>A goddess will be freed of her eternal prison,  
>But she will receive a more than dreadful vision.<br>The world will glimpse a view of its descend,  
>And you will fail to save what matters most in the end.<p>

_The green mist dissipated; the mouth of the mummy snapped shut; the door to the attic opened; the sunlight filled the room once again. Ginny's audience with the Oracle of Delphi was over._

/\/\/\/\

**A/N: How. Was. That? ! I made up the prophecies editing myself, and if I do say so myself, I think I did good! Hope you enjoyed this chapter; next one should be QUEST TIME! HURRAY! Please review! Laters! ! ! ! ! !  
>-Wind<strong>


	20. We Are Given a Quest

Persephone winced as she tried to sit up on her sleeping bag. Her injuries were healing, but it still felt awkward to move. "Feeling alright?" asked Haley, her voice heavy with concern. "I'm fine," Persephone gasped, keeping a hand on her abdomen as the pain faded.

"You know, you should really thank Nico again; I mean, he _did_ save your life, after all!" Haley insisted, and Persephone groaned. "Haley, I _already _thanked him!" she sighed; this was not the first time she heard this. "Yes, I know that, but you should just say thanks again! If you won't, I will, and I'll make it sound all mushy and crap!" Haley threatened. "You. Wouldn't. Dare!" Persephone hissed.

And that was how Nico found them – glaring at each other, having an epic stare-down that could've rivaled a hawk and a snake – when Nico said, "Hey, Persephone, Ginny wants to see us!" He stopped momentarily, bewildered by the looks they were giving each other, but Persephone turned toward him and said, "Sure, give me a minute!"

After she got up and said good-bye to Haley, Persephone followed Nico out the door. "Do you know what she wants?" she asked. "No clue. She just said to meet her in the dining pavilion ASAP," said Nico.

They didn't find Ginny at the dining pavilion; they were expecting the same, chocolate brown hair, pretty green-eyed nine-year-old they were used to. But this _woman _was almost nothing like that. She was completely green – green hair, green eyes, green skin; the only thing _not _green was her teeth, which were pearly white – and she looked like she'd seen battle a million times. Her eyes scanned you with such a fierce look that it seemed she was analyzing the best way within a million ways on how to take you down in a fight. She was polishing a spear and shield that looked a little familiar to Persephone, and she realized with a sharp gasp that those were _Ginny's _weapons.

"Hello Ivy," said Nico politely. Ivy stared at them, then said coolly, "Took you long enough to get here, dumbass." And with that, the woman _shrunk_. Her limbs shortened; her hair turned brown; her skin turned pale white; the only thing that stayed the same were her eyes, still as green as they always were.

Several seconds later, Ginny stood in the woman's place, shouldering her pack and returning her shield to a bracelet and her spear to a flashlight that she hung on her belt. "What the hell was that? !" snapped Persephone.

Ginny grinned. "Duh! I told you when we first met that I was a dryad! You didn't expect all dryads to look like _this, _do you?" she laughed. "Ginny's real name is Ivy; she prefers her human form, but once in a while she has to revert to her dryad form so she can soak up sunrays to survive," explained Nico as if he'd seen this a hundred times before; which he probably had.

"She's also a lot harsher and kinda violent while she's in her true form, so try to be polite to her," he hissed in Persephone's ear before turning back to Ginny. "So what did you need us for?" he asked.

Ginny's grin got even wider. "We-" here she gestured to all three of them "-are going on a quest!" she said brightly. Persephone and Nico gawked at her like she'd grown three heads or something. "I thought quests were only for determined campers!" Persephone said, confused.

Ginny nodded. "Yes, yes, but I volunteered you directly. We have a mission to carry out; an errand for the goddess** Persephone **herself," she said. Persephone's jaw hit the floor; this was great! Maybe she could _finally _get some damn answers around here!

"What does she need?" asked Nico cautiously, his eyes narrowing as he cast a look at Persephone. Ginny waved her hand impatiently. "She needs us to fetch something for her in L.A., and she'll meet us at the end of the quest to thank us properly if we succeed. And if we fail… Let's just say she won't be entirely thrilled!" Ginny laughed, making Persephone grimace. That did _not _sound good.

"Well then, what are we waiting for? The sky to rain cupcakes? Let's get a move on!" Ginny ordered, jumping out of the dining pavilion. "Hey!" snapped Nico, "We don't have shields or supplies!"

Ginny waved her arm, and two packs and a pair of shields appeared right next to them. "Hurry up!" she demanded, stalking back and forth like a wild animal as they quickly shouldered their packs and grabbed their shields; Nico's turned into a watch, Persephone's turned into an identical bracelet as Ginny's.

"Shouldn't we tell someone we're leaving?" Persephone asked, glancing wistfully back toward the Hermes cabin and thinking of her nice old sleeping bag. "I already told Chiron; he'll announce our quest at dinner. Let's get a move on; I don't like traveling at night!" Ginny ordered, marching resolutely up the hill to the old pine tree.

Persephone had heard the story of the tree; years ago, a half-blood daughter of Zeus had almost made it to camp, but was then overrun by monsters. Instead of letting her suffer, Zeus had taken pity on her and turned her into a tree. Her spirit protected the camp borders, but it was still a nasty fate in Persephone's opinion. The girl's name had been Thalia.

Persephone stopped next to the tree, looking back at the camp, and an awful sense of dread filled her; what if she never came back? But then a snap of "Move it!" sent her chasing after her two friends, down the hill into the mortal world.

And that was how the quest started.

/\/\/\/\

_A/N: HURRAY! QUEST TIME! Sorry, but I might not post again for a while; I just got the 'Lost Hero' and the 'Son of Neptune' from a book store yesterday, and I also got the game 'Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim' as well, so I'm going to be either reading or playing! Again, sorry! Please review to see this updated! Laters!  
>-Wind<em>


	21. Intermission: Trouble Back Home

"Hey!"

Persephone skidded to a halt alongside Nico and Ginny as Aaron came racing down the hill after them. "Wait!" he cried. "Aaron? You can't be outside the campgrounds unless you're on a quest!" Ginny snapped, but Persephone held up a hand.

Aaron came to a stop in front of them, panting. "I know I can't come with," he panted, "But I came to give you these!" He produced a shoe box that held shoes with wings at the heels, fluttering madly to try and escape.

"Where'd you get these? !" Persephone gasped, taking the box to examine the shoes more thoroughly. "My friend Luke from the Hermes cabin loaned them to me. I thought you might – you know – need them." Aaron huffed, still a little winded. "How do they work?" asked Nico, a little suspiciously, like he could sense something wrong.

"Just put them on and say, '_Maia!_' real loud. Then you just lean whichever way you want to go," explained Aaron. Persephone's eyes were shining as she gazed at the shoes, but Nico looked at them suspiciously, while Ginny just looked impatient.

"Can we _please _get a move on now?" she snapped, shooting Aaron with a dagger-glare that made him back up a bit. "Sorry, but we have to go now. Thanks Aaron!" Persephone gushed, pulling him into a hug before snatching the shoe box from him and taking off with her friends, leaving a very pleased looking Aaron behind them.

/\/\/\/\

Nico was grumbling something about Aaron showing off when they reached the first bus stop. Persephone wasn't listening; she was quickly lacing the shoes on with a determined speed, her fingers swift and nimble. Ginny was watching them out of the corner of her eye, then shook her head in amusement; it was just so funny, the way they so clearly liked each other but didn't even realize the other liked them back.

Suddenly, the small cell phone on Ginny's hip vibrated, and when she looked at it, she grimaced. "Sorry. Gotta take this," she said, leaving Nico and Persephone alone.

Persephone, not wanting to be left in uncomfortable silence, asked, "Since when did she have a cell phone?" "No idea," replied Nico with a shrug.

/\/\/\/\

_Ginny quickly flipped open her cell phone once she was farther away from her friends. "I thought this line was for emergencies!" Ginny hissed into it. Instead of the commanding, powerful voice of her Lady that she expected, Ginny heard a small whimper on the other end._

_"Hello?" asked Ginny uncertainly. "Ivy?" whimpered a little voice that couldn't have been older than six. "Rosie?" asked Ginny, now certain who the caller was. Ginny heard Rosie mumble to someone on her end, then heard an angry shout and a small scream from Rosie._

_"Rosie? Rosie! Are you okay? !" snapped Ginny, straining her ears to try to hear anything other than background noise. "I-Ivy, he's really mad!" wept Rosie in a small voice, wracked with pain and fear._

_"Who? Hades?" asked Ginny, but she heard a sharp "No." "Then who is it? Who's mad at you? What's happening? !" Ginny demanded, trying to keep the impatient, irritated snarl out of her voice for Rosie's sake._

_"K-Kronos. He can't find Lady Persephone, so he's taking it out on me!" Rosie wailed, crying even harder on her end of the phone. "What? ! What are you doing so near the Fields of Asphodel? ! You shouldn't have left the palace! Hades might be a bit of a jerk, but he would've kept you safe-!"_

_"I'M IN THE PALACE!" yelled Rosie shrilly, "HE CAME IN AFTER LADY PERSEPHONE LEFT!" "WHERE'S HADES?" Ginny asked, her voice pitching an octave higher out of fear._

_"K-Kronos said he'd let Hades find Persephone for him because he can't; please, Ivy, tell me you're coming home soon!" sobbed Rosie, her voice hysterical and scared._

_"Y-yes! I'm coming home as soon as I can! I'll get you out of there! Just promise me you won't tell him where Lady Persephone is!" Ginny said, her voice tight and choked with pain._

_"N-never!" Rosie sniffled, and Ginny's hopes soared a little. Rosie was young, but she would never go down easily. But then a loud _BOOM! _sounded on the other end, Rosie screamed, and the line went dead._

/\/\/\/\

"Rosie? ROSIE? DAMN IT!" Ginny snarled, almost slamming her phone on the ground when she noticed her friends were giving her weird looks. "What?" asked Persephone, her eyes full of concern.

Ginny almost snapped and told them what happened when she realized her friends still didn't even know about Kronos yet. "Come on," she muttered, "It's a long story."

/\/\/\/\

_A/N: Sorry, this was kind of a filler chapter, but hey, I had to post SOMETHING! Anyway, remember to review! And BTW: All hateful or mean flame reviews will be deleted and the author of that review will be blocked. Laters!  
>-Wind<em>


	22. Host of a Titan

When the bus finally arrived to take them onward on their journey, both Persephone and Nico were both stony faced. They had taken the news about Kronos pretty well; Persephone had already suspected that something was wrong, after all, and Nico would never freak out in front of her or Ginny.

Ginny sat beside them on the bus ride, her mouth tucked into a firm line as she kept her eyes glued to the windows.

/\/\/\/\

Persephone could feel Ginny trying to relax next to her, but she was holding her breath, waiting for a reaction. Finally, Persephone just couldn't hold it in anymore. "Why didn't you tell us?" she hissed at her angrily.

Ginny flinched like she had just shouted. Nico watched the exchange. He said nothing, but he was dying to ask the same questions and get the same damn answers.

Ginny took a deep breath. "Lady **Persephone **told me to keep the information as secret as possible, but when Rosie called….." her voice faltered slightly, but she continued, "I knew I couldn't hold it back anymore. I mean, to save both my Lady AND Rosie, we'll have to go to the Underworld, and… You guys deserved to know."

Persephone shifted in her seat uncomfortably. "So….. **Persephone **harbors the powers of a _Titan?_" she asked, as if she'd been trying to process the information but couldn't.

Ginny nodded, then studied Persephone's face. "Is it really that hard to believe?" she asked, tilting her head slightly. "Um….. yeah, kind of. I mean, she's the goddess of _flowers!_" Nico said.

"Springtime!" snapped Persephone and Ginny at the same time, both looking insulted at his statement. Nico nodded, albeit a little sheepishly.

Ginny rolled her eyes at him and explained: "See, when Zeus was born, he had the powers of a full-fledged Titan; that's why Kronos wanted to eat him in the first place. But, even when she fed him the rock, Zeus's mother knew Kronos would still be able to sense his powerful aura. So, she locked it away inside him. It was only supposed to be freed in times of his greatest need, or, if he didn't need its help to survive, it would transfer to a descendant of his that was powerful enough to contain it. And that's how it came to Lady **Persephone.**"

"But, even if she is the spring goddess, she's still considered to be a minor goddess, right? Why would the powers transfer to her, and how could nobody sense it?" asked Nico, looking very confused, while Persephone was slowly nodding her head in understanding.

Ginny sighed at Nico's question. "That is a question I cannot answer very well, but I guess I'll try to explain; see, Lady **Persephone **was born with such a strong aura that she could mask the power's presence inside her. It's quite complicated; since she has to use most of her power to suppress the Titan inside her at all times, she has reduced her aura and powers to almost nothing at all. The only ones who know of her true power are me, you guys, Rosie, a few other dryad servants she has, Kronos, and Hades."

"Whoa, whoa, Hades knows and he never said anything?" asked Nico, now thoroughly confused. Before Ginny could answer, Persephone said, "He doesn't know that it's a Titan's powers, but he knows she has a really strong aura; that's what first attracted him to her. Am I right Ginny?"

Ginny nodded her head slightly. "My Lady was not very good at hiding her powers back in the old days. Hades sensed her aura from the Underworld and came up to find her – well, actually, he was going to see if it was a super-powerful monster, but that's besides the point. Anyway, when he was looking for the source of the power, he saw Lady **Persephone **out in the fields, picking flowers with her sisters Athena, Artemis, and a few nymphs. He was smitten with her the second he saw her beauty. And so, he kidnapped her, took her to the Underworld, and 'accidently' gave her four pomegranate seeds from a tree in his garden. Being young and foolish, she didn't know of the curse and ate them. And the rest is history," she sighed, waving her hand in a sweeping gesture, as if she could turn back time for them to see.

Persephone's eyes narrowed curiously. "Nymphs….. Were you there when **Persephone **was abducted?" she asked. Nico looked at her in astonishment, as if that had never occurred to him, but Ginny just smiled and shook her head.

"No. I'm not anywhere near that old. But my great-great-grandmother was there. She passed the story of **Persephone's** abduction down our family line until it came to me. She witnessed the entire ordeal. Funny; Lady **Persephone **often says I look like her. I guess that might be why I am her favorite servant," she mused, looking thoughtful.

Nico stayed silent for a moment before he said, "Okay, but why do we need to go the Underworld to get her out? Shouldn't she have left already? I mean, Demeter seems to be in a pretty good mood-" he began, but Ginny cut him off, "That is simply an imposter. Lady **Persephone **cannot leave the Underworld with Kronos on her heels; she fears that doing that will lead him to the location of her host."

"Host?" said Nico and Persephone at the same time. They looked at each other before turning away, embarrassed. Ginny cracked another smile.

"Lady **Persephone **discovered something; about a dozen years ago, she discovered Kronos was planning on capturing her and using her powers. So, she transferred all of her Titan powers to a demigod host, so even if Kronos got a hold of her, he wouldn't be able to use her. The transfer was successful. Her powers now lie within a demigod; they remain dormant unless the host is in desperate danger, when they will activate and help them to safety," she explained.

Silence. Then…

"That sounds awesome! Who's the host? !" Nico burst out, eyes wide with excitement. Persephone looked just as eager. Ginny scoffed. "You think if I knew that information I'd tell _you _allof people? Forget it!" she snapped.

"Aww…." They both whimpered, but Ginny ignored them. 'Besides, they really don't need to know the host is right next to me….. at least not yet,' she thought, watching Persephone out of the corner of her eye as she and Nico started seriously discussing who they hoped their Olympian parent might be.

/\/\/\/\

_A/N: Hey peoples! So, I've done you all a favor; instead of waiting for me to write the answers to your gazillion questions into the story, you can now ask on my story: _'Persephone Jackson & the Half-Blood Olympians: FAQ'._ There your favorite fanfiction characters will answer all the questions you submit! Hope you enjoy the offer! Please review! Leave questions on the other story, and I'll answer ASAP! Laters!  
>-Wind<em>


	23. Meeting A Daughter of Hephaestus

Everything was going great; none of them had sighted even the slightest bit of monster at all when the bus broke down. Black smoke started coming from the engine, and the driver had to stop on the side of the road. "Can someone call a cab service? I think you guys are going to have to take one," sighed the driver as he inspected the damage.

Everyone groaned before a voice said, "Not necessarily, sir!" A girl that couldn't have been older than Persephone and Nico walked out of the crowd. "You got any emergency tools? I can fix this no problem," she said, nodding her head at the engine.

The driver looked doubtful, but he handed over an emergency toolbox and the girl got right to work, working on the engine despite the fact it got her hands covered in oil and grease.

Ginny looked impressed, but Persephone's eyes started drifting around. She looked across the road and saw an odd sight; an old fruit stand, shimmering in the heat of the afternoon.

There were no customers, but three old ladies sat in the shade of an old maple tree in rocking chairs, knitting the World's Largest Pair of Socks. Guinness World Records would be so proud.

All three women looked ancient, with pale faces wrinkled like fruit leather, silver hair tied back in white bandannas, bony arms sticking out of bleached cotton dresses. The weirdest part? All three of them were looking at Persephone.

Persephone turned to Nico to comment on this, when she noticed that he had followed her gaze and now he was gaping widely at the old ladies, his face completely pale. "Nico?" Persephone said in concern, touching his arm.

He didn't move, so she shook him a little. "Nico!" she said, with more earnest this time. This woke him out of his shock.

"We should get back on the bus, don't you think?" he asked, though his voice was filled with obviously suppressed fear. "What? It's way too hot!" Persephone protested.

She turned back to look at the little old ladies, confused. They were still watching her. The middle lady, the one holding the yarn for the other two to knit, took out a huge pair of scissors – gold and silver, almost like shears.

And just as she was about to cut the string, the blood suddenly drained from Persephone's face. She knew who these little old ladies were. "The Fates," she tried to whisper, though it came out as a tiny squeak. Too late to turn away now.

_SNIP!_

Persephone could hear the sound of those shears cutting the yarn across four rows of traffic on the highway.

Persephone probably would've fainted if the noise of a voice calling, "Got it!" hadn't jarred her.

The bus returned to life, with the girl – who, by the way, had dark brown hair and very light blue eyes – beaming at the astounded bus driver. "You actually fixed it!" he said in awe.

"Well, yeah, my mom runs a shop in town. She taught me a few tricks," the girl said, wiping her hands a little on a rag the driver had given her. The other passengers cheered and they all flooded back onto the bus.

/\/\/\/\

Persephone sat next to Nico as he explained to Ginny what they saw. Her eyes filled with a very grim expression as he told of the yarn being cut. "It might not mean Persephone, right? It could mean someone else, right?" asked Nico desperately, rousing Persephone from her shock.

Ginny pursed her lips. "Maybe, maybe not. We cannot know for sure. Let's just make sure to keep on our toes from now on-" "Hey, you guys talking about those old ladies back at the stand?" interrupted a voice.

The trio jumped and blinked in unison as the girl from earlier beamed at them from the seat in front of them. "W-well, we-" began Ginny, but the girl cut her off again, "Hey, no worries man. I'm a half-blood too; I know all about the Fates!"

Now they all stared at her in disbelief. "You? You're a-" "Half-blood," the girl finished Nico's sentence and grinned widely. "Yep. Just found out a couple months ago. I'd be at Camp now, but my mom's having a relapse with cancer, so I have to run the shop. I'm a daughter of Hephaestus, by the way," she said, firing answers in a rapid-fire way that reminded Persephone of a machine gun.

"What's your name?" asked Ginny. The girl straightened up proudly. "My name is Rebecca Swanson. Who are you guys and what are you doing outside of the camp?" she asked rapidly.

"We're on a quest. I'm Ginny, and this is Nico di Angelo and Persephone Jackson. They're both undetermined and I'm a dryad. How have you survived this long without going to the camp?" asked Ginny.

Before Rebecca could answer, the doors of the bus opened at a bus stop and three old grandmother-looking ladies entered the bus. "Shit," Persephone hissed. Mrs. Dodds had returned with some friends.

/\/\/\/\

_A/N: I had to study for a god-awful biology test, so this is really short. Rebecca is based off one of my best friends from school. :) __Anyway, hope you enjoyed, please review, etc, etc, etc. Laters!  
>-Wind<em>


	24. Author's Note

_OMG, I am soooooo sorry I haven't been able to update lately! My younger sister has been hogging the computer, working oh her fanfictions, and I've also had finals to study for... I'll try to update soon!  
><em>_-Wind_


	25. Author's Note 2

_OK, I know you're all peeved that I haven't updated lately, but I've been working on a story for FictionPress .com, so please be patient!  
>-Wind <em>


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